Swine Flu - Redux?

In 1976 I caught the Swine Flu. It was a real ordeal and I spent a week stuck in a hotel room during my travels getting various medications from a local doctor in Agawam, Massachusetts.

Now I figured I would be naturally immune to the newest strain but the doctors tell me differently. Apparently the crafty virus has mutated into a novel form of the virus and just like everyone else, I am vulnerable.

Living in Texas, the state with the largest border with Mexico, the launching point for this wave of pandemic, does make me a bit nervous. The best consolation comes from people taking precautions seriously and schools closing to avoid spreading the disease. Schools are a breeding ground for diseases. Lots of kids, sneezing, coughing and in close contact spreading whatever they have to each other. Share and share alike?

My hope is that parents who keep their children at home will not decide to bring them to work with them. If they do, the same problem will persist, but this time it will be adults who spread it.

The flu in Mexico seems to be more deadly than other countries, and that is a mystery. The fact that this flu is killing the young and strong is also a mystery. It bears a frightening resemblance to the Spanish Flu epidemic that decimated the worlds youth in 1918. Let's hope that isn't repeated.

So what to do? Listen to the recommendations of the CDC and be reasonable. Avoid close contact with large crowds, but don't hide at home and shiver.

Wash your hands and cover your coughs and sneezes, and just maybe we can nip this in the bud.