Headlines have been covering the Swine Flu like crazy in the past few days!  I’m actually following it pretty closely.  I didn’t really follow too much about SARS but this is kind of closer to “home”.  And I think when things happen near you and could possibly happen to you, you tend to pay more attention to it.

I’ve been thinking about how easily Swine Flu spreads which is probably why it has spread across such distances so quickly.  It is contagious, just like a common cold.  It is spread through germs.  And as I think about the guidelines written about how to stay “safe”, like wash your hands frequently and avoid touching your face especially around the eyes, nose, and mouth area, I see how incredibly easy it can spread.  I believe one article I read said that a circumference of about 3 feet around a person is where germs reside.  So it is really easy for someone to cough or sneeze, or even breathe and for you to be standing right next to them to inhale all the germs.  And at work, I was thinking about all the things we touch from door handles, microwave handles, the desk, anything can have these germs on it.  We don’t know what the last person touched with their hands before they touched something.  And people frequently put their hands on/near their face.  I know I do it all the time.  So it is not surprising that this has spread so quickly and seems difficult to contain.

I was getting some ice from the mini-fridge at work today.  It was just a “bucket” of ice which had tongs for you to grab the ice.  The purpose of the tongs is so that people don’t get their germy hands all over the ice.  But, I was thinking, if someone sneezed, grabbed the tongs to get ice, then threw the tongs back in, then the rest of the ice is already contaminated since the tongs just lay in the ice bucket!  Gross.

Anyway, this Swine Flu thing is crazy and I will be keeping myself up to date with it!