Improving your social life and gaining immunity from Swine Flu at the same time? This sounds too good to be true because it is, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the CM (common sense). Believe it or not, people around the U.S. have been hosting-- and attending-- what the CDC calls "Swine Flu Parties." A CDC document I received from the human resources department at a college where I teach this week had, mixed in with a lot of scare tactics and practical information, the following strange passage that Halloween party and zombie movie aficionados should keep in mind:
What is CDC’s recommendation regarding "swine flu parties"?
"Swine flu parties" are gatherings during which people have close contact with a person who has 2009 H1N1 flu in order to become infected with the virus. The intent of these parties is for a person to become infected with what for many people has been a mild disease, in the hope of having natural immunity 2009 H1N1 flu virus that might circulate later and cause more severe disease.
CDC does not recommend "swine flu parties" as a way to protect against 2009 H1N1 flu in the future. While the disease seen in the current 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak has been mild for many people, it has been severe and even fatal for others. There is no way to predict with certainty what the outcome will be for an individual or, equally important, for others to whom the intentionally infected person may spread the virus.
CDC recommends that people with 2009 H1N1 flu avoid contact with others as much as possible. If you are sick with flu-like illness, CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
So please dear One World, Many Peaces readers, loved ones, friends, acquaintances and total strangers: there's already enough serious epidemics called Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs: AIDS, Syphilis, parasites) associated with getting laid; don't add Swine Flu to them with a Swine Flu Party. If you're Halloween isn't scary enough, here is a scary idea for you. As to how to be social if you have Swine Flu, the CDC isn't very helpful and your best bet may be social media on an oft sanitized device or a sanitarium. Here is what the CDC recommends for you and your caretakers:
Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. And wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others. CDC has information on “Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home” on its website at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm
