Bird Flu, SARS, Swine Flu… What’s Next?

I continue to be surprised that there are diseases (newly and yet-to-be discovered) that can still have such a severe impact on us. I mean, we live in a very advanced society. We’ve developed cures or found a way to prolong life for diseases and viruses that, in the past, if you were found to have them would mean an immediate death sentence; HIV and certain types of cancer are examples. Yet, we have nothing to safeguard us again seemingly common viruses that exist just across the border. What’s most troublesome is that we can unknowingly put ourselves in harms way and shatter our peace of mind just by going about our daily business.

With hundreds of people packed tightly into a small space, the second (and thankfully, shortest) part of my commute has always been a harrowing experience. The ride is no more than two stops and lasts less than ten minutes but they are the worst few minutes of my day (anyone who takes the E train during rush hour knows what I mean). I didn’t think it could get any worse but with the recent outbreak of swine flu, every sneeze is now a cause for alarm and paranoia quickly sets in. Where before I could easily dismiss or attribute such occurrences to allergies or the common cold, I am now anxious and alert to any symptom that could in any way be related to the swine flu. In my worst moments, I envision our society turning into one where we have to wear gloves and cover our mouths with masks (standard procedures) to protect us from numerous incurable diseases that permeate the atmosphere. Clean fresh air, if such ever existed, would be a thing of the past. Every time the WHO raises the pandemic level, it seems that we are getting closer to this point and even if the CDC does find a cure for swine flu very soon, it’s almost guaranteed that something else will come along and set us in a state of panic just like SARS and the bird flu before it. Frankly, we are too advanced a society to so easily fall prey to such viruses as swine flu and I can only hope that the CDC, WHO, and anyone else in a position to safeguard us against them can position us offensively rather than us having to adapt a defensive approach when the next virus hits.