Mexcian Discrimination due to Swine Flu

Originally Posted May 2009.....

So....I saw a question in the newspaper yesterday asking whether Mexicans are being discriminated against or whether people are protecting themselves against the flu. There is no doubt that this strain of the flu is medically linked to Mexico, but are people blaming Mexicans for getting sick or having the propensity to get sick with this rare viral infection? There are mixed reviews responding to this question. From what I sense, Americans are treating this flu strain as if it were a life-threatening illness. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), there have been 896 confirmed cases of the Swine Flu throughout 41 states and 2 deaths, one of whom was a baby in Arizona originally from Mexico, and the other was a teacher from Texas. In New York, only 98 people have been "infected" with the flu, most of whom recovered without hospitalization or medication. Yet, the response from people is a bit outrageous. Grant it, no one wants to fall ill from an ailment that can be "prevented." Notwithstanding, this strain of the flu is spreading at rapid speed as "24 countries have officially reported 2371 cases of the [swine flu ]"( http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html). Therefore, medication has to continue being produced and distributed as fast as needed and in some cases faster as to not run out. But have Americans been taking precautionary measures to prevent the normal strain of influenza in the past years, which kills over 30,000 a year? How many people actually receive an influenza vaccination each year flu? Why is it now that everyone wants to start the Purell craze. It is typical for people to panic when something bad happens. But why is it that the CDC and other health departments/agencies must inform us to practice "good cough etiquette" and that washing one's hands throughout the day can help circumvent various bacterial and viral infections? Is not washing your hands with soap and water something every mother teaches her child at a tender age? In New York, I see a prevalence of face masks, hand sanitizers, and napkins to open doors and hold on to subway polls. Why now? News flash! If you have not been taking care of your immune system, all the hand sanitizer in the world will not prevent you from getting sick!

So are Mexicans really the blame? I think its common to want to find someone to blame, but the reality is that many viruses, infections, and diseases exist in this world. So why not eat healthy, exercise, take multivitamins, and do things necessary to limit the risks of falling ill to these ailments on a daily basis as opposed to frantically running to hardware stores and pharmacies to pick up large supplies of latex gloves, face masks, and Vitamin C when word goes around that influenza is spreading and is highly contagious? In this way, being selfish is not such a negative thing.

To answer my own question, I do not think Mexicans are the blame as to why others are sick neither are the Americans who brought the flu back to the states. It is a cosmic happenstance! Do I think they are being discriminated against? I cannot say I sense such a feeling. I believe that people want to protect themselves from becoming ill, but I just feel as though some measures are extreme. While we are overly concerned about preventing a flu, I urge everyone to think of the hundreds who have died in Mexico and other countries because either they lack the resources to combat the illness or their immune systems are not strong enough to fight it while waiting for help...or a combination of the two. Mongolia and other countries are now receiving vaccinations, and it is pleasing to see us becoming more interdependent and helping each other for an important cause instead of dividing against each other to satisfy our own interests. While neither you or I could have prevented this from occurring, I hope we are appreciative to have the technology to not only detect the viral infection but also to develop resources to cure it.

To conclude, one of the most "influential and outspoken countries in the world" sizes as a apart of the bigger picture we call THE WORLD, which can still fall susceptible to a wide-spread illness. We are fortunate enough to have the means to restore back to health from various illnesses and must share that with those who are not as fortunate. I'm appreciative to know that the CDC is working in dispensing vaccinations worldwide as we are all ONE and need each other to survive. From what I hear from CNN and other news stations, the Swine vaccination is offered for FREE in various locations to combat this annoying "pig" bug! Check the CDC website for details.

I'm set up. Now what?

For starters, I've been thinking about blogging since....FOREVER! At first, I was unsure whether this style of writing was right for me. It took me a while to realize that there is no "real" style. Blogging is about writing how and what you think and feel. One's rhetoric is of less or no importance at all. I appreciate all the bloggers who have come before me and encourage all those who are interested in placing their thoughts on papers, so to speak, to start blogging. I have chosen this venue over twitter because I'd rather discuss issues of concern....things plaguing us, laws inhibiting us, and taboo norms that seem to only benefit a selected few....than to post my hour to hour schedule...Yes, urination is normal, sleeping is necessary, and talking on the phone to a new love interest is fun, but exclaming those personables about yourself only reflects just that: YOU. While I do not wholeheartedly condemn such social venues, I personally believe that the world is bigger than just you or me. The difference of what people are versus what they proclaim to be is that we are the center of "our" world, not of "the" world.