"...high-frequency Uranus raises your anxiety level today." My horoscope.
Just when I was spouting off that no cases of flu had been reported on the coast of Sonora, I hear from Lolita that three cases have turned up in Empalme and one in Guaymas. These are not confirmed swine flu, just people being tested for suspicious symptoms. But it's enough for the masks to start appearing on the streets of Guaymas.
But the masks are almost useless in protecting against infection, according to the chief medical officer of Scotland, Dr. Harry Burns. "You wear a face mask, it becomes damp during the course of the day and that allows the virus to spread across your face." Health care workers are being advised to don a fresh mask if dealing with a flu sufferer. But "the virus is so small they can go through the pores."
So, if we're thinking nonporous, can solid plastic masks be next? Are we going to resemble Darth Vadar in the heat of summer?President Felipe Calderon wants us to stay home from May 1 to May 5. The 176 professional soccer games scheduled for this weekend will be played (and televised) in empty stadiums. Supermarkets, buses, garbage collection and, of course, hospitals, will operate as usual.
The Capt, down in Barra de Navidad, says the hospitals there are already overcrowded with cases of dengue fever.
Late news flash: According to a CNN report, so far, four month into this year, 13,000 people have died of flu. NOT swine flu, but "regular" flu. Worldwide, the number is between 250,000 and 500,000. Sort of puts everything into perspective, doesn't it?