When Pigs Fly

It seems everyone is freaking out about the Swine Flu. I don’t know if it is more disturbing that this “pandemic” has been blown completely out of proportion, or that the federal government wants everyone to refer to it as the N1H1 virus. According to the “big G” calling it Swine Flu is insensitive to the pigs.

Perhaps I am just not over excited about the Swine Flu. If people just stick some basic hygiene and common sense practices, then there isn’t anything to worry about. Nearly 22,000 people die per year from Influenza, better known as “The Flu”. That injection that we all get suckered into every fall is supposed to protect us from the newest strain of the virus, but most of the time one will end up getting a strain that wasn’t covered in the shot.

What about all those people in Mexico that have died from the Swine…er...um I mean...N1H1 virus? In my opinion people have also forgotten that Mexico is not the most developed country on the planet, and their healthcare system isn’t known for being extraordinary.

When I think of the Mexican Healthcare System, I think of black market drugs (you know, the stuff that requires a prescription in the US, but you can by with some cash and no Rx in Mexico), and cheap gastric by-pass and lap-band surgery. That’s right, if you have cash, you can get whatever you want in Mexico. Furthermore, Mexico isn’t exactly known for its strict regulations when it comes to protecting its people.

Does everyone also realize that when someone goes to the bathroom and doesn’t wash their hands, they end up spreading their fecal matter...aka...their poop…onto whatever they touch? Then, when you touch what they have touched, you get that same poop on your hands. After that, when you go eat your lunch, or open your soda can, or bite your finger nails (which is another blog subject that I will save for a later day), then you put their poop in your mouth. Isn’t that great? That’s how most people contract e-coli and other nasty bacteria that could kill them. But where is the big news story regarding that?


So, our infectious disease lesson for the day is: WASH YOUR HANDS, and don’t go kissing on the pigs!