May 26, 2009

Swine Flu Pandemic


The news media certainly sensationalized the swine flu. What received breaking 24-hour news coverage has definitely lost its momentum even though the number of cases globally continues to grow. In fact, Iowa had 72 confirmed cases as of May 21, 2009. One poor Freshman even had to be sent away from campus after contracting the flu during a weekend trip home.


As I was heading home from class today on the commuter bus I was fortunate enough to witness the widespread fear of infection. Several Asian students, obviously new to campus, boarded the bus wearing face masks. It was such a bizarre sight. When one sat next to me, I was more terrified of him than he probably was of me. All I could think of was: AVIAN FLU.


Well, I will definitely be bringing my camera with me tomorrow. This is a culture shock in my own backyard, and I would be mindless not to document it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

this is awesome. maybe you should do an experiment and wear a max tomorrow and see how people treat... also every once and awhile remove your max and sneeze or cough without covering your mouth. See how they react.

Piper Jacquelyn said...

Oh god, please wear a mask. Then photograph that and send it to me today while I'm studying. I need the comic relief.