Swine flu here in New York....caution or panic!

First of all I just want to say hello to my readers and friends and I apologize for being away for a while.  I am expecting and am on my 7 month and honestly with so much going on have not been able to share with my audience the in's and out's of life.

On that note I have decided to write today about the swine flu epidemic that us as Americans we have been forced to deal with due to the lack of a quick response from the health authorities in Mexico D.F.  As some of you may or may not know Mexico's first outbreaks of the swine flu was in February and from stories I myself have read many citizens who were affected or believed to be affected who had called ambulances were left in the cold because EMS workers were afraid of picking them up to take them to local area hospitals for fear of exposure to the virus.  In other words they were afraid of doing their job. As of this week deaths in Mexico have totaled 149 and I have even heard somewhere that they are concerned of shortage of the commonly known Tamiflu. 

Now getting to the states and New York specifically right now it is reported 49 people affected, 16 new probable cases and five schools closed with all that Governor Patterson & Mayor Bloomberg are telling us not to panic and just follow certain safety protocol to stay safe.  Frankly, although there have been no deaths announced among those affected with the virus it should be expected according to Dr. Menmet Oz.  As mentioned by him previously the next seven days are crucial in determining if the disease will reach a plato or if it will worsen.  With the prediction that by Sunday it will reach a global status I feel very concerned that things will get worse before they get better.  I have a bone to pick with the Mayor regarding the safety of riding the trains with this epidemic.   Just this morning while my husband was on his way to work a lady sneezed outright without covering her mouth.  My husband was so outraged at her lack of ettiquette or as my grandmother would have said "lack of home training" he went totally off on the lady asking her if she was aware of the swine flu situation she cursed and said "Who the F#$% are you"?  Others in train joined in and gave her a piece of their minds as well as my husband who told her " I  am a man who's wife is expecting a baby and don't want my wife to be sick or my baby to be affected because someone like you was so careless and could not do a simple thing like covering your mouth or asking for a tissue".  It just seemed interesting that many were critisizing  our vice president Joe Biden about the remark he made about avoiding public transportation and then Mayor Bloomberg having camera's follow him on his way to work and the icing on the cake was this situation on the train today.  How can anyone think that riding in NYC transit is safe from germs?  It never has been!  Bloomberg needs to ride the L train...seriously!  There are all kinds of elements riding the trains not everyone is clean.  I have seen homeless with feces running down their pants sleeping stretched out in the subway car where people have had to move to the next car to avoid the stench.  Can you imagine who has to clean that at the end of the day?  Probably not even knowing who slept there just hours before.  How about those people who hold on to those subway poles and sneeze rub their noses and hold on to the pole again.  New York citizens are exposed to those germs every single day and even get sick from it.  So why would it be okay to ride the train with germs and microbes all over.  Yes we can walk around with hand sanitizer (which by the way they say does not work well) by now you must be saying what can we do?  Panic is definitely not the answer what is the answer is for us to individually inform ourselves about this virus the antibiotics and use caution when in enclosed areas.  I am walking with sanitizer, a small bar of soap, avoid closed areas if possible, when I get home I hold my breath and spray my clothes with lysol to kill any contaminants on my clothing since it only takes on droplet on clothing to contaminate us.  That is why they say facemasks cannot protect us because after a while moisture droplets go through the masks they filter nothing out so imagine what we carry on our clothes.  I come in the house after spraying wash my hands face etc...and then wipe with alcohol the door handle down.  It may sound extreme and who knows we may even be afflicted eventually but we need to try something.  Not just walk around like all is okay.  Some people are either of two extremes either they panic to the point that a sneeze sends them to the hospital to see if they have it or they feel invincible and feel they won't get it.  Sadly, people don't realize the dangers til someone they love is affecfted. 

Lastly,  please be safe take care of one another learn all you can learn and read between the lines follow your instincts and do what is best for you and your family.