Experts say the Swine Flu is among us. Travelers home from recent trips to Mexico are concerned. Schools from Ohio to NY to Texas are closing down. How safe are we? The World Health Organization advises that this new strain of Swine Flu could become a pandemic. China has banned the import of live pig and pork product from California, Kansas and Texas. A high school in Queens, New York is under investigation for the possible strain. Eight students from that school have tested positive for Swine Flu and one hundred others may be infected. Those one hundred "others" left school without being diagnosed.
The Center for Disease Control says the virus originates in a pig. They also say it can be passed on to a human who was in contact with that infected pig. They also say it can be passed from human to human via sneezing and coughing, or touching items infected by the virus. Although it's too early for officials to determine how bad things could get, live like me. I'm no guru, but I'm all about a disease-free lifestyle.
Wash your hands whenever returning from public life. Keep dining out at a minimum. [Yes, I'm one of those kats who worked as a waiter and knows, first hand, that some kitchens and the hands of its workers are not as sanitary as you'd imagine.] Also, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. In fact, eat anything that provides nourishment to your body's well-being and keeps your immune system on point. If you feel sluggish or phlegmy after eating then you're not eating right. And that's not published wisdom from some well-known nutritionist; that's common sense. Sugary soda, foods with preservatives and cigarettes do not the body good. In my opnion, they leave the body open for any Tom, Dick or Swine Flu in a cough's reach.
Wash those hands, people. This flu outbreak might get crazy.
Keith Josef Adkins is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and social commentator.