Pandemic

Jaspenelle
by Jaspenelle
Thu
8
Feb
2007
8:39pm
Posted in sub-blogs:
7 Comments

I started to think numbers today – disease numbers. Why? I was thinking about whooping cough and hearing a new commercial on the radio about how to be prepared in case of a pandemic like bird flu hit and a Portland school closure today because of a bad flu going around. Something slightly frightening occurred to me – it is so easy for a contagion to spread.

I ride the bus to work, 20 people right there, most of them probably work in the downtown call centers, hundreds of people they could then infect then, even if they are showing no symptoms. I work in a parking garage, sneezing distance from about 250 different people a day. 20 people on the bus home.

That is already almost 300 people I could come into direct contact with over the course of a day. Not including waiting the bus plaza, wandering around the skywalks on my break etc. Not to mention the infected people going home, taking the disease with them, their kids then taking it to school etc.

Now I am not a germaphobe nor a fear monger (or I would be bathing in chlorine right now…) but wow, I have never actually crunched the numbers before.

Imagine if a real pandemic hit.

Anyhow roast chicken, baby carrots and salad for dinner. Blue candles to make tomorrow. It’s all good.

7 Comments

  1. rah-bop
    Posted Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 9:35 pm | Permalink

    Jesus, flu. I live in portland, and everyone is getting sick over here. They come to school and work all puffy-eyed and gravely-voiced. Stay home, guys!! D8

  2. Heather/Ayla/Mir
    Posted Friday, February 9, 2007 at 2:59 am | Permalink

    Hald the problem is that people don’t stay the hell home when they’re sick–I’m guilty of that, I went to work way too often when I had the flu, and probably infected people, but my boss was being a twat (and I don’t get paid when I don’t work).

    But of course it’d be easy to spread, but honestly, it’s not worth freaking over. Buy yourself a facemask for if a pandemic ever hits, and save it for it one ever does.

    But really, bird flu’s died out almost totally from the news right now, because everybody caught on that the big pandemic scare was just that–a scare, a huge load of bullshit to get people terrified and running to the government again.

    I shudder to think how much money’s been wasted on an illness that’s -maybe- killed a couple hundred people worldwide… how many did we lose to cancer this year?

  3. Kim
    Posted Friday, February 9, 2007 at 11:05 am | Permalink

    A pandemic may be more likely than you think. My husbands business referal group had a speaker from the medical profession not to long ago that talked about the preparations being made by those who would be the first responders. Emergency and medical personal. When they talk about it they don’t talk in terms of “IF” but “WHEN” it happens. Some of the expectations is that it could happen as early as this spring with the bird migration. One of the first places in the United States that could be hit is Washington State (note pattern of migration) One of the precautions that could be taken is quarantine to your homes. Be prepared to be quarantined in your homes for 6 weeks, maybe as much as 9 months. Schools are also being prepared. We had school personel come and speak to us at a church fireside a couple of weeks ago. Don’t take my word for anything I have written. It is all at least secondhand information.
    Learn for yourself and prepare as you are able. Here are some possible sources of info: http://www.pandemicflu.gov, http://www.usda.gov/birdflu, http://www.emd.wa.gov, http://www.doh.wa.gov
    You can get an Emergency Resource Guide to learn how you can make preparations for yourself at the emd website listed above.

  4. Jaspenelle
    Posted Friday, February 9, 2007 at 11:10 am | Permalink

    So in other words when the next pandemic hits come live up with you guys since you have more food stores then us?

    Thanks for the links, being informed is the biggest step to coming out on top.

  5. Aunt Ruth
    Posted Friday, February 9, 2007 at 3:30 pm | Permalink

    There have always been pandemics and they will continue. We understand so much more about how disease is spread that was should not be more scared, but wiser and calmer about it. The media blows things up out of proportion. At our hospital I have had to listen to all the pandemic talk, but I know that a healthy immune system, enough rest, healthy food, exercise and stress reduction, will be the best defense from illness. End of lecture ;)

  6. autumn zephyr
    Posted Saturday, February 10, 2007 at 9:01 am | Permalink

    My husband is a respiratory therapist. He was given a 911 talk about the bird flu and how once it can pass to humans we’re all toast. He’s not usually Chicken Little, but that scared the sh*t out of him.

    Speaking of scary. Have you ever read “The Stand” by Stephen King. Apocalypse by flu. Yikes!

  7. peppylady
    Posted Saturday, February 10, 2007 at 2:09 pm | Permalink

    Sound strange I remember my mom telling me. When she was a little girl that she came down with the whooping coffee and other childhood disease that I would consider them thing of long ago.
    Maybe it isn’t so.