Flu...

My friend sent me an email today with this picture and the subject on it read "How you really get the swine flu" which of course made me laugh. I'm totally taking this seriously but I have to admit it's a very confusing thing - why the level 5 of 6 in regards to "pandemic" ratings. It also makes me sad on others levels. 10,000 people had died of AIDS and still President Regan wouldn't even say the word. I don't remember when it reached the title of "epidemic" but I do know that some people (scientists and others) were definitely paying attention to it long before the public was. I'm sure more that 110 people (number in US who have Swine Flu) had died of HIV/AIDS before it got mentioned anywhere besides a CDC report.

It's not fair to compare them, I know. One is a horrible disease at caused agonizing deaths and we had no idea how it was spread or could pin point what you really died of. The other is the flu. We now know how you get AIDS. Someone sneezing can get you the flu (but not AIDS). And our media's LOVE of fear and panic is just exhausting. Really.

So in honor of epidemics, I'm going out to dinner with my friends to night - we're going to Dine Out for Life and support Lifelong AIDS Alliance. Because there is still an epidemic going on - even if it has been downgraded to a "chronic illness" in the US.