Sunday's NY Times had a pretty depressing story on what some World Health Organization-types are suggesting as one helpful way to stem a pandemic flu if, as some experts worry, bird flu jumps from birdies to people.
One of the ideas making the rounds is to shift the traditional "handshake" to an "elbow bump," which would be less likely to transfer germs from/to membranes.
Another idea, already tried in Asia: Requiring everyone to wear surgical masks. Why everyone? Because, while it's more effective cover the faces of the infected rather than the healthy, city fathers quickly realized the sick might not want to identify themselves as sick. So they required *everybody* to wear masks. (Funny sidelight: Within a day, people had adapted, making their masks into fashion statements with logos.)
Another public health tactic: shut down places, like subways, were there is a lot of close, person-to-person contact.
Considering that last one, does anyone else worry that a pandemic will gut the SC business?
Are dancers worried about increasing their chances of getting ill? Are custies worried about the same?
Or maybe I'm being a hypochondriac? You know, I bet that even during the blackest days of the Black Death, there were randy, death-weary noblemen who sought out the company of pretty ladies in crowded clubs (errr, "pubs").
What do others think?



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