Griffin Speaks

BIRD FLU

After living forty-seven years without contracting the flu I thought my worries about the flu were over. Today I must admit that I am very concern about the reported threats of the “Bird Flu”. The Spanish flu or bird flu of 1918 is credited with killing 5000 people in New Mexico and 50 million people worldwide. It is believed that everyone knew someone who had died from the bird flu. 

Experts are afraid that an outbreak of the new avian flu will be as deadly as the 1918 version. There will be two types of folks: those who are exposed to it and die, and those who are exposed to it and survive. There is a legitimate concern that there will be a pandemic. 

If a person is infected with the ordinary human strain of flu contracts the bird flu, possibly from contact with chickens then it is on! It will reveal to the bird flu the secret of jumping from human to human. Once that occurs, the bird flu will be able to spread at will, and there will be a pandemic. 

I have always credited my daily eating of some type of poultry for my ability to ward off the flu. Today there is a threat that poultry may be the very source of the new deadly bird flu. What will I do? I can not imagine giving up Church’s Chicken or Popeye’s. 

My belief is that people contract many diseases through shaking hands. I shake hands all day long, but I take certain precautions. I have been in restrooms where a person would leave the stall, see me and immediately reach and shake my hand. I am use to it so I take precautions. I wash my hands all the time. I also eat with my left hand when it is necessary for me to touch my food with my hand. 

Historians say that the shaking of hands first appeared about 1,800 B.C. when the Babylonia king shook the hands of a statue to express the transfer of authority. 

The Assyrians adopted the custom after they defeated the Babylonians. Historians also believe that the modern handshake evolved as a way for suspicious villagers to check for weapons. Women of the period were slow to develop the custom. Today it is only proper to shake the hand of a woman if she extends her hand first. Many women do not participate in the shaking of hands. This may be one of the reasons women live longer than their husbands. The hand carries many germs. You never know where someone’s hand has been.  

A research study done at the Atlanta Braves restroom found that 37 percent of men and 16 percent of women left the restroom without washing their hands. Considering that viruses can live on the human hand for two hours or more it appears that Alabama State University Dean Percy Vaughan is right in refusing to shake hands. 

Clearly, precautions are called for. As my family and friends know I am not taking the threat of bird flu lightly. I will continue shaking hands, but I will wash my hands frequently and eat with my left hand when possible. I strongly suggest that you do the same. 

Greg Griffin is a free lance writer. You can read his previous articles by visiting his web page at www.greggriffin.com