I think the Swine Flu outbreak has been over hyped, but I can’t be sure. On one hoof, they are using scary words like “pandemic” and “state of emergency”. But on the other hoof, the deaths in the US are almost non-existent (and so far not local) and patients are responding well to treatment. Should we be afraid or not?
I’ll be frank. Personally, this little piggy doesn’t scare me.
I have never been a germaphobe. In fact, quite the opposite. I am a huge believer in building up immunity to germs. I do all the important things like washing hands after going to the bathroom. I shower every day (almost). But I never understood the Mommies who carry around the hand sanitizer and constantly hassle their kids to apply it after touching things. Do you ever notice that THOSE are the kids who are always sick? I’m just sayin’.
I spent this week in Boston at a conference with several hundred people who traveled on gigantic flying petri dishes planes and trains to get there. I shook a lot of hands, and even hugged and kissed a few long time colleagues who I haven’t seen in a while. If I bought into the news and the hype, I may not have attended the conference at all and been fired. I hear that a few people didn’t attend for that reason. And Joe Biden doesn’t want to get on the subway. Sounds like a little malarkey to me.
My guess is that if you are a germaphobe, this news is very scary to you; but if you’re like me, you shrug and look around to see how other like minded people are behaving. And until someone I know gets sick, its business as usual.
P.S. - While I am one of the most reasonable people about germs, I am also unreasonably superstitious. I am a huge knocker on wood. To wit, this post guarantees my imminent illness.
