Oh. Well, then, never mind:
It has been a week since news of an international outbreak of the so-called swine flu raised fears of a pandemic with an unknown potential for countless deaths.But so far, the flu’s oink has been worse than its bite.
New York City officials reported Friday that the swine flu still has not spread beyond a few schools, and in Mexico, the suspected origin of the outbreak, very few relatives of flu victims seem to have caught the virus.
As further evidence that this strain of the H1N1 influenza virus is looking a little less ominous, a U.S. health official says it lacks the genes that made the 1918 pandemic strain so deadly.
And a flu expert in New York says there’s no reason to believe the new virus is a more serious strain than seasonal flu.
>Oh. Well, then, never mind:
It has been a week since news of an international outbreak of the so-called swine flu raised fears of a pandemic with an unknown potential for countless deaths.But so far, the flu’s oink has been worse than its bite.
New York City officials reported Friday that the swine flu still has not spread beyond a few schools, and in Mexico, the suspected origin of the outbreak, very few relatives of flu victims seem to have caught the virus.
As further evidence that this strain of the H1N1 influenza virus is looking a little less ominous, a U.S. health official says it lacks the genes that made the 1918 pandemic strain so deadly.
And a flu expert in New York says there’s no reason to believe the new virus is a more serious strain than seasonal flu.
Flu Brings Less Crime, Blue Sky to Mexico City
May 4, 2009
In Mexico City, there’s an upsideto the swine flu scare:
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind replace a cacophony of commuter car horns. The lone bark of a dog echoes from a far-off balcony into the normally bustling restaurant district, suddenly empty of lunchtime crowds and late-night revelers.Swine flu has also brought an unusual calm to this city that never shuts up. Crime is down and even the smoggy skies have turned a shade approaching blue.
Throughout Mexico City, a megalopolis of 20 million, hustle and bustle has given way to shuffles and sighs.
More about the swine flue in another post – my take: it’s not so bad – but I linked to this story not only because of its timeliness but because of some of the pictures associated with it gave me a different view of the Mexico City I had in my mind. Maybe yours, too:
I’ve never been to Mexico City but I’ve been on the El Rio Del Tiempo ride in Epcot and that’s the same thing, isn’t it? Of course, the ride idealizes Mexico City and I have no problem with that but my surprise came from seeing these pictures of the city and realizing that, with the flu scare, the idealized scenes in the ride weren’t actually too far off. The original news story I saw had a now-missing picture of the fountain that must be in a prominent part of the city because that very same fountain is shown in the Epcot ride.
So, Epcot and Mexico City during the time of the swine flu. Who would think there’d be a connection?
>Flu Brings Less Crime, Blue Sky to Mexico City
May 4, 2009
>In Mexico City, there’s an upsideto the swine flu scare:
The sound of leaves rustling in the wind replace a cacophony of commuter car horns. The lone bark of a dog echoes from a far-off balcony into the normally bustling restaurant district, suddenly empty of lunchtime crowds and late-night revelers.Swine flu has also brought an unusual calm to this city that never shuts up. Crime is down and even the smoggy skies have turned a shade approaching blue.
Throughout Mexico City, a megalopolis of 20 million, hustle and bustle has given way to shuffles and sighs.
More about the swine flue in another post – my take: it’s not so bad – but I linked to this story not only because of its timeliness but because of some of the pictures associated with it gave me a different view of the Mexico City I had in my mind. Maybe yours, too:
I’ve never been to Mexico City but I’ve been on the El Rio Del Tiempo ride in Epcot and that’s the same thing, isn’t it? Of course, the ride idealizes Mexico City and I have no problem with that but my surprise came from seeing these pictures of the city and realizing that, with the flu scare, the idealized scenes in the ride weren’t actually too far off. The original news story I saw had a now-missing picture of the fountain that must be in a prominent part of the city because that very same fountain is shown in the Epcot ride.
So, Epcot and Mexico City during the time of the swine flu. Who would think there’d be a connection?
