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FLU
I’ve heard it said that man is the king of the earth, the top of the food chain, the master of his own universe. Yet, if all that is true, then why are we so defenseless and susceptible to the tiniest of micro organisms? We can run but we can’t hide. In fact these virus are the most abundant form of biological life on earth.
Every one of us has had a cold or flu, and generally it amounts to a day or two of discomfort at best. A little rest, some fluids, a little “tussin” and we are usually good to go. Its common talk at schools and offices around the country to hear, “the flu is going around”, “I’ve got the bug” or “it’s flu season”. What scares me are the new strains that spread like wildfire and have ominous sounding names like the “swine flu”. I don’t want to have to walk around with a little paper mask on all day and a bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready.
The good news is our bodies have built up some natural defenses to the everyday garden variety virus. If we catch a slightly more resistant strain a quick trip to the doctor and a few antibiotics knocks that illness out of us in a few days. The bad news is that the actual virus can also build up a tolerance to the very medicines we use to combat them, making them ineffective.
From time to time these virus (Greek: toxin or poison) mutate into a new strain that proves to be very resilient to our medicines and antibiotics and that our bodies have no native, or built up immunity to. Scientist find it difficult to attack these new strains because they are constantly changing. At times young and old people along with those with weak immune systems are very susceptible.
There are three main types of flu or influenza virus.
Type A: Found in animals: Ducks, Chickens, Pigs, Whales, Humans
Type B: Found in Humans
Type C: Causes mild respiratory issues, not an epidemic
Since the dawn of time, or at least since Adam took some bad advice from Eve, mankind has had to live in fear of the virus.
With all of our knowledge and
medical advances we still cannot inoculate ourselves from an intrusion as innocuous as the common cold. (or Rhino virus) The best modern medical advice is to “let it run it course”.
Infectious disease has reared its ugly head thru out human history and on every continent. Communicable diseases have been known to spread thru populations like wildfire, leaving a trail of illness and death. Fear and ignorance have often lent a helping hand to a myriad of ills known by names like: Plague, Black Death, Typhus, Cholera, Bubonic Plague, Avian Flu, Small pox, HIV, or Measles.
When a infectious disease spreads rapidly across a state of region it is known as an epidemic. (from the Greek : epi or upon, and demos: people ). When a disease has worldwide potential, spreads across the sea and across continents its known as a pandemic ( from the Greek: pan all, and: demos‐ people )
Authorities treat any fast spreading disease with caution. With the aid of mass transit and airplanes, one infected person can spread to thousands in a short period of time. The problem is compounded when we allow visitors from third world countries to enter the United States without any medical screening.
Some virus can spread between species. A fact that most people don’t know (or don’t want to admit to themselves) is that even in the United States our ability to deal with large numbers of patients that need medical care and hospitalization at the same time is very limited.
So, it seems we have our hands full trying to come up with vaccines and cures for an age old human ailment. As doctors and scientist work to immunize us from these health issues, there are others who would weaponize this technology creating super strains that are biological engineered to kill humans.
It seems unlikely that we can ever eradicate the more virulent of these strains. After all it just takes one host to carry the disease and start the cycle all over again. It seems we have to learn to live(or die) with these microorganisms, just as humans have for thousands of years. It doesn’t look as if they are going away soon. Gott’a run, I’m heading down to the pharmacy to stock up on some Nyquil.. So, take a few aspirins and call me in the morning.
Please feel free to contact me at: pooritalianboy@gmail.com
P.I.B.
I’ve heard it said that man is the king of the earth, the top of the food chain, the master of his own universe. Yet, if all that is true, then why are we so defenseless and susceptible to the tiniest of micro organisms? We can run but we can’t hide. In fact these virus are the most abundant form of biological life on earth.
Every one of us has had a cold or flu, and generally it amounts to a day or two of discomfort at best. A little rest, some fluids, a little “tussin” and we are usually good to go. Its common talk at schools and offices around the country to hear, “the flu is going around”, “I’ve got the bug” or “it’s flu season”. What scares me are the new strains that spread like wildfire and have ominous sounding names like the “swine flu”. I don’t want to have to walk around with a little paper mask on all day and a bottle of hand sanitizer at the ready.
The good news is our bodies have built up some natural defenses to the everyday garden variety virus. If we catch a slightly more resistant strain a quick trip to the doctor and a few antibiotics knocks that illness out of us in a few days. The bad news is that the actual virus can also build up a tolerance to the very medicines we use to combat them, making them ineffective.
From time to time these virus (Greek: toxin or poison) mutate into a new strain that proves to be very resilient to our medicines and antibiotics and that our bodies have no native, or built up immunity to. Scientist find it difficult to attack these new strains because they are constantly changing. At times young and old people along with those with weak immune systems are very susceptible.
There are three main types of flu or influenza virus.
Type A: Found in animals: Ducks, Chickens, Pigs, Whales, Humans
Type B: Found in Humans
Type C: Causes mild respiratory issues, not an epidemic
Since the dawn of time, or at least since Adam took some bad advice from Eve, mankind has had to live in fear of the virus.
With all of our knowledge and
medical advances we still cannot inoculate ourselves from an intrusion as innocuous as the common cold. (or Rhino virus) The best modern medical advice is to “let it run it course”.
Infectious disease has reared its ugly head thru out human history and on every continent. Communicable diseases have been known to spread thru populations like wildfire, leaving a trail of illness and death. Fear and ignorance have often lent a helping hand to a myriad of ills known by names like: Plague, Black Death, Typhus, Cholera, Bubonic Plague, Avian Flu, Small pox, HIV, or Measles.
When a infectious disease spreads rapidly across a state of region it is known as an epidemic. (from the Greek : epi or upon, and demos: people ). When a disease has worldwide potential, spreads across the sea and across continents its known as a pandemic ( from the Greek: pan all, and: demos‐ people )
Authorities treat any fast spreading disease with caution. With the aid of mass transit and airplanes, one infected person can spread to thousands in a short period of time. The problem is compounded when we allow visitors from third world countries to enter the United States without any medical screening.
Some virus can spread between species. A fact that most people don’t know (or don’t want to admit to themselves) is that even in the United States our ability to deal with large numbers of patients that need medical care and hospitalization at the same time is very limited.
So, it seems we have our hands full trying to come up with vaccines and cures for an age old human ailment. As doctors and scientist work to immunize us from these health issues, there are others who would weaponize this technology creating super strains that are biological engineered to kill humans.
It seems unlikely that we can ever eradicate the more virulent of these strains. After all it just takes one host to carry the disease and start the cycle all over again. It seems we have to learn to live(or die) with these microorganisms, just as humans have for thousands of years. It doesn’t look as if they are going away soon. Gott’a run, I’m heading down to the pharmacy to stock up on some Nyquil.. So, take a few aspirins and call me in the morning.
Please feel free to contact me at: pooritalianboy@gmail.com
P.I.B.
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