Well, they found some bird 'flu in France, in fact they're now on "bird flu war footing" (hmm...France, war footing? - are we about to see new lows in surrendering?) That's just a short flight across the channel. It's bound to show up here.
I know I should be worried about this, but I can't seem to summon up the fear. I shared a taxi with a guy not long ago who thought me foolish for my lack of concern. He knew a disturbing amount about the avian influenza, the Spanish 'flu of nearly a century ago, and previous 'flu epidemics. He talked about our chances here in London, the stock of vaccines and anti-viral treatments. The UK government doesn't have enough, the NHS won't be able to handle it...he said. I have no doubt that this is true. As he reeled off death tolls and infection rates (he knew the numbers), I did my best not to snicker.
If some nasty virulent 'flu - like the H5N1 virus - decides to jump from human to human I know it will be bad, I just kind of accept that. In London, I know I'm a sitting duck. London already makes me sick. It makes everyone sick. You're sharing enclosed spaces with all kinds of sniffling, coughing, wheezing fellow commuters. You touch a handrail as you begin your commute and there's no way to wash your hands for nearly an hour. By the time I've accepted that I've got to look like a paranoid plonker on my daily commute, with gloves and a mask it will be too late.
For those who either want to scare themselves senseless or prepare and take appropriate measures - check out this site: avianinfluenza.org
1 comment:
I feel like people were more panicked about 4 months ago... but really, if you panicked every time something horrific happened in the world, you'd never leave your house. There's nothing much to be done.
I'll prolly bypass chicken for the time being, though - the hotwings I had at Bodeans the other night (mmmm, mmmm) will have to tide me over til this is all past...
Post a Comment