Those of you who live in the U.S. probably recall the media frenzy with swine flu (H1N1). It seemed that every time we tuned into the news, there was some story or another about how the flu is spreading and how it could affect us. Eventually, things calmed down and luckily there were relatively few fatalities.
Well, guess what? That same hysteria has hit the mainstream here in India. Every news channel and newspaper is covering it to the max, giving hourly updates on where it has been confirmed and where we are in the national death count (about 30). Every other store has a sign in the window stating, "We Sell Swine Flu Masks," and there are actually people on the street wearing them (although not a majority...yet). Now, I am all about taking precaution and preventing the spread of a global pandemic, but I also think that this country has many more important things to worry about, including the spread of other infections and diseases (note: I made the same claims when I was witnessing this scare in the U.S.).
The swine flu scare has some positive aspects for me, primarily because it is believed to have been brought over from the West. Specifically, the number of beggers, hawkers, and generally curious people that approach me on the street have gone down dramatically. When I get on the bus, people are eager to get up and give me their seat as they move to the opposite side of the bus. Vidya and I even witnessed a woman shout "foreigner" as she pulled her friend to safety as we walked by.
Let us hope that the panic continues without their being anymore casualties, as I rather enjoy my freedom to roam the streets. - A
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think the mania will probably persist, as there was a report out the other day that estimated up to half of the U.S. could get swine flu this winter, with up to 90,000 deaths. Crazy! (of course, 90,000/150 million = .0006, which doesn't sound any worse than the regular flu... I'm no flu expert, though!)
ReplyDelete