i've realized since the swine flu virus started
i haven't LJ-ed about it
don't worry people i'm not infected with the H1N1 or more affectionately known as swine flu
or let me rephrase that i have not been infected with it yet
but put me on a plane for 22 hours with stale air and passengers of sketchy origins
and i just might get the swine flu
which is why my parents are urging me to cancel my trip back to Singapore
honestly when the swine flu started i was ignorant and felt that the virus would stay in Mexico
even though patient zero was from California
but nonetheless we all know (or at least people who've been keeping up with news lately instead catching up with the latest episode of Criminal Minds which I've shamelessly been doing) the virus has spread to various parts of the world
so for all you Southpark, Gossip Girl, American Idol, Criminal Minds *insert your favorite tv show* drama addicts who have not been able to keep up with the swine flu business this goes out to you
first things first
the
symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular flu
so if the symptoms of the swine flu are somewhat similar to a regular flu why are people dying from it
well firstly, HELLO? it's like a regular flu! a lot of people die from the regular flu yearly
okay, but why are there so many more deaths reported in Mexico than say, the deaths reported in America?
well smart one, firstly Mexico is densely populated
secondly sadly many people in Mexico don't have access to world-class health care"Mexico's big cities have fancy private hospitals stocked with modern equipment and staffed with U.S. board-certified specialists. Americans increasingly come to Mexico for good care at low prices. The best of the public system is world-class too, with top doctors at elite centers for specialized diseases. But Mexico's everyday public hospital system is in crisis. Mexicans with flu symptoms might have sought better care far earlier if the public health care system had done the same kind of flu surveillance common in the U.S. and other developed nations.."
this my dear friend, is one of the most significant reasons why swine flu appears to be more deadly in Mexico
so for all of you out there who have access to world-class health care and insurance be thankful
and stop bitching and whining about why Blair got back together with Nate and not Chuck
as of a few days ago Mexico has lower their alert on the swine flu pandemic
and if you've been googling about it like I've been
you'll find skeptics like
"Simply amazing -- Mexico losing tourist dollars and suddenly all the reported cases and death numbers take a dive -- and it really isn't serious. Typical 3rd world cesspool -- they boohooed big time about the outbreak and no one threw them money -- now they are losing their tourist industry dollars. Next week Calderon will be claiming they never had a single case of swine flu in all of Mexico!!! As for Obama -- he would never shut the border -- he wants to give them AMNESTY and the DREAM ACT to give ILLEGALS access to colleges and citizenship which will give their families citizenship by way of chain migration. AND AMERICANS -- YOU GET THE BILL!!!"
(seriously the power of google)
to me, I'm sure the Mexican economy has suffered greatly because of the whole swine flu pandemic
and let's be honest, their economy wasn't that great to start with (as with economies in other parts of the world)
and while i don't blame people for being skeptical about Mexico lowering their alert because honestly
who really wants to head to Mexico and certify that "yes, the pandemic in Mexico is not as serious as before"
but as always it's always best to give people trust people until you catch them in a lie
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so how has swine flu affected me?
let's recap
well I live in a city that's approximately 2 hours away from the Mexican border
and i plan on traveling to Singapore on as I've said before a plane for about 22 hours filled with passengers with sketchy origins
my parents are urging me to forgo my trip and just stay in sunny swine flu - free Irvine (as of may 9 2009)
they have tempted me with a cruise trip to Alaska (are there swine flu cases in Alaska? MUST GOOGLE)
my trip in Singapore is only for about 2 weeks
as of this morning the voluntary quarantine in Singapore has been lifted
but I'm really not sure if they will make it mandatory in the coming weeks
viruses and quarantines are like my feelings towards boba milk tea
some days I like it some days I don't
the point is the virus could mutate and quarantines can change from being voluntary to mandatory
and honestly if Singapore was to imposed a mandatory 7 day quarantine my trip will be ruined
and that won't be just a terrific start to the summer would it?
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Poll #1397421 SHOULD ERIN HEAD BACK TO SG AND RISK BEING QUARANTINED FOR 7 DAYS?
Open to:
All, detailed results viewable to:
All, participants: 4
SHOULD ERIN HEAD BACK TO SINGAPORE
which boils down to this
will I cancel my trip?
stay tuned kids!
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this is the first time i'm actually making use of my LJ to blog about important world matters
so please read, take part in the poll and leave me some comments!
SIDE NOTES:
for the poll, sadly LJ is really annoying in a way that only people with Livejournal accounts can take part. BUT all you wonderful readers who don't have a LJ accounts please do take part in my poll by typing your answers in my comment box! I'm not a great/professional writer so please go easy on me when commenting. I may have gotten certain facts wrong but who's perfect right? Go easy when commenting or else I'll hunt you down and infect you with swine flu and you'll wake up the next day breathing through a tube (I'M KIDDING! PLEASE ENJOY!)
THIS POST AND COMMENT BOX IS OPENED TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE
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