Thursday, February 16, 2012

Outbreak Bowl?

Not yet -- but Indiana's got a touch of the measles and it looks like Superbowl crowds may have played a part.

...That's how it has worked since time immemorial: get a big enough crowd together and they will share more than loaves, fishes and opinions. Modern sanitation helps but even if visitors and workers had been hosed down with Lysol,* the venue would have been a prime spot to share colds and more.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Greg Larkin is on the case.

As a small child, I thought the disease began with becoming very vocal and, as it progressed, one's eyes might turn blue and cross (especially the boys). Eventually, hands, feet, ears, nose and chin would turn a lovely sable.... Turns out that was "'Mesels" and it doesn't even exist. Drat!
_____________________________
* Not very far up on lists of "fun things to do." YMMV, but I'd as soon not know about it.

4 comments:

karrde said...

Measles...

The Health Commissioner is personally visiting every case, and administering care?

Oh, I see. He is answering questions and dishing out generic advice on TV.

(From his Q&A, it looks like the bad part of measles is that it is infectious for a week before any signs show up...)

Roberta X said...

Indeed -- and I would posit that one of the more useful things a statewide medical organization can do is promulgate basic info about infection disease that's on the rise. Doesn't have to be a .gov agency but that's what we've got. (I suppose you could rely on the altruism of physicians to set up their own group for such efforts. If you thought "altruism" a likely motive, that is; I don't.)

Fuzzy Curmudgeon said...

Bobbi, why would it necessarily require altruism on the part of physicians? I would think they would consider it very selfishly ("I don't want my family to catch the disease of the week") and voluntarily participate in what would in essence be part of a ring vaccination scheme :)

Stranger said...

This is another of those "you ain't vaccinating my kid" outbreaks. For which the ducking stool, followed by a day in the stocks and a crowd with a copious supply of rotting tomatoes is the only appropriate punishment.

I grew up knowing far too many nice kids who contracted measles and either died or were permanently rendered non-compos mentos by the disease to feel otherwise.

Stranger