Y2K, or the next Black Death

Have you paid any attention to the Bird Flu scare?

Not to be an alarmist, this could be Y2K, or killer bees (hopefully). However, it could turn out to be a horrific ordeal.

I am reading a book on the great flu pandemic of 1918. For those who never heard of it, this was a wave of an especially deadly form of flu that killed nearly seven hundred thousand Americans, and between fifty, to one hundred million people worldwide. A morbid sidenote- if you ever visit an older cemetery, note the number of tombstones with 1918 on them. Sadly, the dates reveal a disproportionate number of deaths of all ages, not just the elderly.

I was shocked to learn how many people die of the flu in a normal year, around thirty thousand in the US. The bird flu though could be much worse. It is more akin to the strain that killed in 1918. A situation made worse due to World War I, and the congregation of so many men, especially in unsanitary conditions.

That said, I like the comment made during the Y2K scare, "I never heard of someone getting killed by a bus they saw coming a mile away." For me, I am making sure my parents either have their medications, or prescriptions ready to roll. I have also bought a year supply of Spam, up from my normal six month's supply. Just kidding, though I am going to make sure my Xbox Live account is paid in full.

To your health, c