BLOBBY'S BLOG

Disease

First off, let me tell you how disappointed I am in the lack of good images from Pigs in Space.

The likenesses of Link Hogthrob, Dr. Strangepork and Firstmate Piggy are beyond bad. The best I could do was get a shot of the Swinetrek!

But my post isn't really about the Muppet Show.

No, it's about pigs. Or Swine Flu. Or H1N1.

From NPR to my friend Jon to any number of bloggers (many of them queer - but not you Torn, never you), folks have been reacting to and questioning the reaction of this outbreak. Mostly that the information is overkill. I hear them, I really really do. But only to a point. At first it seemed like a slow news day when this broke last week(end), but you know it is all valid.

Let's forget that the WHO (no, not Roger Daltrey & Pete Townsend) upped the level to orange, or moved down to Defcon 2 or whatever they call it. Yes, the perception that there is too much information is partially due to a 24 hour news cycle that somehow must employ Dr. Sanjay Gupta 13 hours per day (how do his patients in regular hospital-land ever see that man?), but I like to think that all the info is just and needed.

There are even certain gay bloggers who talk about the hype. They are also the first ones if this "flu" killed 16 gay men and no one did anything about it, they'd be all over that shit (no Torn, not you). As well they should. But 91 (or whatever the number is now) of others who died of Swine Flu are no less important than us gay men. Depeche Mode even said, "people are people".

And no offense to the people who expired from this flu, but now this situation is about containment. It's good places like the CDC and WHO have learned from past experience. SARS, Mad Cow, and let's not forget GRID back in 1981.

Having worked in Emergency Medicine and disaster preparedness for a decade, I am really ok with this exposure - of the media, that is. I think it's important that the word gets out. Sometimes you need a 2x4 to beat the public into listening - and this is one of those times.

Cough and sneeze into your sleeve, folks. And for g-d's sake people, wash your fucking hands!

Not that I'm asking you to loiter in public restrooms (unless of course you're Larry Craig), but stand there for 5 minutes and watch how many people don't wash - it's disgusting. And it's no wonder illness is spread so easily. They are the pigs!



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