Swine Flu Pandemic

So what's a little flu? You're young, you're healthy...just barf it up and get on with it! Only the weak and feeble die from the flu, right?

Think again. The current H1N1 flu strain which has become a pandemic (and of which WHO just announced in June 2009 is unstoppable) is the first global pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong flu, and is a relative of the 1918 Spanish Flu that may have killed 20-40 million people - young, old, sick and healthy. Indeed, healthy pregnant women infected with swine flu have a higher rate of hospitalization and death than the general population, according to a recent study. And the World Health Organization has reported 162,230 confirmed cases and 1,154 deaths due to the Swine Flu in the first wave of this health crisis, which flu experts say reflects only a fraction of the true number because most people do not go to a hospital or a doctor when they are sick, or get diagnosed with a lab test.

To survive The Spanish Flu one had to have luck on his/her side because being fit and healthy didn't matter. More people died in 1918-1919 from the flu than during the 4 years of the 14th Century Bubonic Plague which was also known as the Black Death. About 28% of all Americans were infected with the flu bug in 1918-1919 and most deaths occurred in the 20-40 year old range. All total, about 675,000 Americans were killed by the Spanish Flu, of whom 43,000 were U.S. soldiers serving during WW1.

In Scranton, PA the Flu swept through the coal mines killing thousands of strong healthy miners. My grandfather was one. He came home from his mine sick one day. The doctor made the house call and prescribed bed rest for awhile. But my grandfather had 10 mouths to feed, and so he went to work the next day then passed away the day after. No one was immune - just lucky. It is believed, though, that old timers still living and who survived the Spanish Flu actually may have built up some immunity to this new strain today because of their previous exposure to the virus. Perhaps they will be the lucky ones this time.

So I share my news on H1N1 for this flu season. Keep face to face contact to a minimum if possible and avoid crowds. Use facebook, myspace, youtube, yahoo, google, and craigslist to communicate, stay informed, and shop. Wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your mouth. Sing some beautiful lyrics to pass the time.

Hey, anyone can quit smoking, but it takes a real man to stand up to cancer, right? Don't be brave or foolish. Get the flu shot this year when it becomes available. Better to be on the burial detail than the buried.