The Masks

Back home, the face masks have been selling like hot cakes. Even some shops are selling them at $5 a piece!

The current swine flu is probably in much the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread and apparently has been around since 1918. However the current outbreak was widely reported as a Mexican pandemic until probably someone complained that it should be called its proper virus name. It has been a trend by the media to name (may be shame) a place for the outbreak. Remember ‘Spanish” flu, the “Asian” flu and the “Hong Kong” flu.

In Europe, the regular flu season normally occurs during the winter. This is the period when there is prevalence of outbreaks of influenza during the cold months. It is quite common to take a flu jab before the period to minimise illness. We do take that every year during October or November. Some people refused to take that and allow their natural immunity to fight against any flu. However every year influenza viruses mutate and our body need to be well prepared for that. Hence the flu jabs. Nonetheless during the period it’s quite common to see many people off work for many days because of flu. In fact the flu season can be quite expensive to the business as too many people take sick notes hence some companies provide free flu jabs. Also in terms of human lives lost, that comes into thousands as it affects the olds and the vulnerable.