No Escape From the Flu: One Man's Opinion

Tuesday, March 13, 2007 04:45 AM

Dr. Bert Kelly raises an interesting point when he asks just what will we do in Prince George if we were hit with a major outbreak of flu such as the bird flu?

While it can be said that we were taxed to the limit last week with our ventilators all in use , this outbreak of the flu (while substantial) is not the equivalent of what the bird flu would bring this area. Add to that the fact that we have an aging population that will require more health care and Dr. Kelly has a very strong argument.

The world has shrunk to a point where it is possible to be on a plane this afternoon and get a new strain of virus brought on the plane from someone say as far away as Korea, or South America . Airline travel has shrunk the world to a point where no one is immune to a flu from a foreign country.

Fifty years ago a ship that took a week to get here from Europe was the mode of travel, that time has shrunk to hours, and the fact that bird flu exists in China could mean that we are only days away from having it reach our shores.

Things have changed and changed dramatically past few decades In spite of new drugs being developed every day, we are still susceptible to the diseases of other countries as our immune systems haven't had time to build upany resistance.

It is much the same as in days gone by when Europeans landed on the shores of this nation and brought with them a host of diseases that in manay cases wiped out the resident population. The only difference today is that we are the ones standing on the shore.

I’m Meisner and that is one man’s opinion.

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Posted on Tuesday, March 13, 2007 04:45 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

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Comments

Posted by: heidi1555 on March 13 2007 11:13 AM

In my kids school newsletter a couple of weeks ago they asked to please keep your children home if sick. Every year my kids come home with a flu of some sort. Last year they both missed 3 weeks of school from being in constant pain and vomiting. Visited the doctor a few times within those weeks and kept to the boiled chicken, rice, carrots and banana diet. When they get home from school we would always make them wash their hands so not to spread anything to the rest of family and friends we come in contact with. I think where the problem lies is not washing their hands before eating recess snack or lunch. Would be nice to see more teachers up to the challenge of keeping lunch time germ free. Or maybe us parents could send a small bottle of antibacterial sanitizer for each kid to keep in their desk. Very inexpensive. Now as for the bird flu....Yeetch don't even want to think about that.