H1N1 Update: Finding Laughter in a Global Pandemic

A firm believer that humor eases our stress in times of crisis, I wrote a previous post about my favorite moments in the virus-formerly-known-as-the-swine-flu epidemic (now pandemic). But they just keep coming. Here are several that hit my funnybone recently.

Thanks to Dr. Rahul Parikh for pointing me to the variety of multimedia tools that the CDC has pulled out for this one!
- You can send your coworkers and friends an e-card to remind them to wash their hands, cover their sneezes, and keep their snotty little ones out of your kid’s school. But please “send all”– I’m pretty certain I would be offended if I received one of these directed just at me.
- You can browse flikr to see electron micrograph pictures of the dastardly flu virus itself. There are also pictures of people getting immunizations, presumably part of a vaccine campaign: don’t miss the black and white photo of a woman getting an immunization from a device that looks like a nail gun. Now that’s going to make the kids rush in to get their flu shots!
Dr Parikh also highlighted the potential of this outbreak to start a whole new fashion movement. I’m heading in to work today with a sharpy and my favorite red lipstick to make sure that my N95 mask is tres chic.
Many of my patients ask me about the prudence of so-called “chicken pox parties” but the idea of a swine flu party is altogether batty. I agree with US officials who call it a “bad idea.” Though most people who get swine flu have only a mild or moderate illness, young healthy people–both children and adults–have developed very severe illness and even died. I would try to make a joke about swine flu parties about I cannot touch the British humor of Bryony Gordon.