"Swine Flu" Fever :-D

Yes, here's one more article about it again. Please don't stop reading. I am sorry. I am just so sick of it that I had to write about it !! It has become the talk of the nation, it has taken the whole city by storm; wherever I go I hear people talking about it!!

I get atleast 2 mails about it everyday. It was also a Trending Topic on Twitter last week !

I see people wearing masks ALL THE TIME so much so that, the other day, when my brother went to the Dentist's for an RC, the dentist confessed he had a hard time getting a mask for himself, it seems they were all out of stock !!! I see people making good business selling all kinds of swine flu masks outside Andheri station everyday. It's good to take precautions but some have turned into hypochondriacs.

A Tweet I Read :-D

90 people get swine flu n d whole world wants to wear surgical masks..20 million people have AIDS n still nobody wants 2 wear a condom...y??

One of my friends who travels to college by train everyday had just recovered from viral fever and had a mild sore throat. She was waiting to alight the train at Nerul and happened to cough just then. People moved away from her that instant and rushed to the other exits in the train leaving her all alone at that door! The co-passengers seated in the compartment scorned at her as if to say "One more time and you're out of here!"

Schools and colleges have been shut down. If the virus is so contagious, it's going to spread anyway! How will shutting down institutions help? And for how long can they remain shut? It wouldn't be a surprise if the entire city shuts down in the days to come.

Media can sometimes be so misleading. They've started reporting Swine Flu deaths without highlighting the other complications that those individuals suffered from. Research clearly shows that dengue and malaria are more fatal than swine flu is (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/jaipur/Dengue-malaria-more-fatal-than-swine-flu/articleshow/4869284.cms). It's contagious agreed, but it's also 100% curable! I am sure if they start reporting the number of deaths caused by malaria, the streets will start smelling of Odomos! It should instead re-assure people that the flu can be cured, and that it's not as fatal as we think it to be! If not anything else, atleast the panic levels will come down.

Precautions are always good, it's also nice that we keep each other informed via mails or tweets if we come across any news about this, but guys, we also need to think practically sometimes. Remember we're known to resume work the next day the city was bombed- twice!! We can't just sit at home fearing we'll catch the disease. It's okay to feel worried, we're human, but let's just try to be a little practical, and a little more braver. :-)

Image Courtesy: Brainstuck