Precautionary Measures Against Swine Flu

We have all heard the words. It started out as the simply the swine flu, but within a few months it became the swine flu epidemic. Then those dreaded words from the WHO sent many people into panic. It was now the swine flu pandemic. Some people take it seriously enough to keep their children home from school. They don’t use public transit, and when they do go out they wear swine flu masks. These are the people who most likely have a ‘swine flu survival kit’ stashed under their bathroom sink. They put Howard Hughes to shame with the amount of hand washing they do. They have a never ending supply of hand sanitizer that they can whip out at any given moment, and special antiviral tissues. They do not buy take-out anymore and those family visits have gone by the wayside. They are the people who are spending thousands of dollars on snake oil remedies from oregano oil to strings of braided garlic. And we cannot go without mentioning the latest craze of a silk scarf to be worn about the face covering anything that can puff out nasty germs.

How about the suggestion that any fermented cabbage dish will cure just about anything, along with some good strong whiskey? Then there are naysayers - people who still ride the buses, still shop at the mall, and visit their favorite Chinese take-out on a weekly basis. They are hanging out with the family and friends, and still biting their nails without a thought to the pandemic swine flu that is sweeping the nation. They eat their cabbage and drink their whiskey out of choice, not for prevention. There are, as in most things in this world, those who walk the middle ground and listen to the reports taking heed of the warnings but not going overboard. I think that I fall into that category. I carry a small hand sanitizer in my purse, along with a small tissue pack. I do not, however, wear a necklace of garlic, or drink an overabundance of whiskey. And I think I look much better without the surgical mask. I want my children attending school; it is the only quiet time I have all day.

I really enjoy the treat of take-out on a Saturday evening, along with a rented video. It is in our history as human beings that whenever something momentous occurs, there will be an assortment of snake oil salesman and doomsayers all rallying around Armageddon. But we continually emerge as a rational people - resilient and practical. There doesn’t seem too much that keeps us down, and we manage to pull together during times of crisis, many times emerging bruised but victorious. The swine flu pandemic has all the qualities of something that will pull our nation together. We will battle on as we always do, learning along the way. We will suffer some casualties, but I believe that we will emerge victorious. We will learn some valuable lessons for future generations to use. And, we will have cleaner hands and fashionable scarves to show it!