As you can see from viewing the link to the article on the new potential pandemic of swine flu that has broken out in Mexico, death rates are hovering at around 7% (so far) for this newest outbreak of the flu. During the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, while there were 50 million (or 10% of the world’s population at the time) that died as a result of the flu, the fatality % was only 2.5%. Of course, there had only been 1000 cases reported in Mexico this time (so far), but 70 of them died! It was announced today (April 26) that 40 cases of the swine flu had been diagnosed in New York amongst spring breakers who returned from that country recently.
I was talking to my daughter, who is also in New York City, and she said, “I heard they might close borders because of the flu.” (This was an online conversation)
I typed back, “Why Borders? Are there pigs running through their aisles or something?”
Stacey: “No, but because the flu is spreading…”
Me: (continuing to be dense)…”I know that during the Middle Ages they used to let sheepdogs run through the King’s hall and the knights and damsels would wipe their soiled hands on the sheepdogs to clean them. Sounds pretty sanitary, overall…”
Me (again): “Are they closing the Borders in New York because of those 40 cases they found recently?”
Stacey: “I don’t know. Just borders, in general.”
Me, again being obtuse: “I heard that Borders was experiencing some financial problems ,but I don’t know why they’d close stores because of that, unless they have a lot of porkers working there…”
Stacey: “NO, MOM. COUNTRY BORDERS.”
Me: “Oh….lol. Nevermind, then.”
Pamela
Very funny. Actually, I heard that Border’s was closing as well. That’s Border’s as in books, not boundaries. It probably won’t make any difference if the boundaries are closed. The flu is already in this country and many others besides Mexico as well.
When all this started, I immediately thought of Stephen King’s novel, “The Stand.” I also thought of Johnny Rivers singing “…the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie-woogie flu.’ You have to be of a certain age (to translate from the original French expression) to know about Johnny Rivers’ song. I happen to be of that age: “d’un certain âge,” but not ” d’un âge certain (not yet, anyway).