Wednesday, May 27, 2009

OYNK – Swine Flu

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I hope I’m not tempting fate by writing at this time about the dreaded Swine Flu, but I seem to be surrounded by it in the neighborhood where I live. There are cases of swine flu in the next suburb north to mine and also cases in the adjacent suburb to the south. They have closed down the schools where it first showed itself, so schoolchildren, not quarantined, are roaming the streets.

Each morning when I catch a tram to the city I feel as if I’m putting myself in the firing line and wonder how long I can last without coming down with the virus. The tram of course runs in a direct line between the two affected suburbs, so any passenger could be the unwitting carrier of the virus. I take heart in the thought that I seem to have a good immune system and have, year after year at work , survived the winter without coming down with anything, despite being surrounded by coughing, sneezing colleagues.

An interesting thing I have noticed this year is that if someone has an upper respiratory infection, they carelessly refer to it as “just a cold”. In the past they would have referred to it as flu to garner more sympathy.

So cross fingers, touch wood, in the hope I can get through the winter without succumbing to some awful lurgy, in particular the swine flu.

The above joke has been doing the rounds of email inboxes everywhere, but I still find it funny.

4 comments:

iODyne said...

get a burqua.

IF ONLY our highly intelligent (not) authorities had thought to provide every single arrival with a pack of masks and instructions to wear them for a week ...

Now the thing has 'got away' and will cost a lot of money and inconvenience and disrupted Term curriculi. I am just appalled.

Right from the start the eejits were saying "all is well, we have these heat spotters". This week, it is announced that the heat thingys are useless. doh.
oh I am appalled.

wishing you continued good health.

Kay Cooke said...

That 'cartoon' is very funny. I think your robust immune system will keep you well. It's what I am relying on too.

Anne S said...

FG I refuse to wear a Burqua or even a mask. Lucky I'm a loner so don't socialise much at work.

Kay, it's the pick of the swine flu jokes. I seem to have Pooh's attitude and sit on the tram suspicious of every cough and sneeze.

Still the authorities may stop public transport if the epidemic gets worse, and then where would I be? Work is a walkable distance and I suppose it would be good for me, but there and back!

Unknown said...

Hey, I used that cartoon with my ESL students as a discussion starter: it's difficult for them to comprehend on so many levels - the many ways we use profanities, the existing relationship between Pooh and piglet and how it has now changed... it's great. Me- I went out and got the (seasonal) flu vacc as soon as work said they'd reimburse us - didn't want to get both together!