Tuesday, March 01, 2005

You be illing

Ok today lets talk about the avian flu. If ya don't know ya betta ask somebody. I'm not trying to scare anyone though just keeping you informed.

what's this avian flu? Read here for some info.

Avian flu affects birds and is caused by a virus adapted to them. But in recent years, the bug appears to have jumped species and infected people. By contrast, the seasonal flu bug is specifically adapted to humans. Unlike avian flu, it easily jumps from person to person and kills hundreds of thousands of people each year.

Apparently its been on the radar for a number of years but the numbers of persons actually infected by it so far have been pretty small and pretty much isolated to Asia. Still experts are throwing about words like pandemic - a widespread epidemic where a whole heap a people catch it and thousands die. They say we are due for some type of pandemic soon since they usually occur every 30 or so years and it might just be this Avian flu virus that is the one
to reach that stage.

So throughout Asia they are killing off birds by the thousands as a precautionary move to stop the spread and mutation of this virus but who knows what will happen cause it only takes one fella ta play wid two chickens and then get on a minibus and bram juss so whole place infected.

Saturday, I was just first reading about this Avian flu issue while on a trip downtown and would you know it this guy gets on the streetcar coughing and spitting and making all sorta nasty noises with his throat at the front of the vehicle. Sounding like he got an old jalopy wid
engine problems stuck in his swallowpipe (throat) and he trying to cough it up. I was thinking that I hope he aint have no bird flu cause if so all a us in the streetcar got it now. Still as I always say ya can only get what for ya and if its for you to have you cant get away from it.

Let me give an example. True True story. One time there was this fella in Barbados who went to the obeah woman to ask she some questions bout he future. Don't ask me why where the obeah woman located or why he decide to go ta this particular wun or anything so cause I just relating what I hear. Anyway amongst the things the obeah woman tell him was that softdrinks (interpreted as pop or soda) will be the death of him so my man decide right there and then that for the rest of his life he cutting out all softdrinks. No more Ju-C, no more Sprite, he even disown Coca Cola and Pepsi one time! No more Ting, no Ginger Beer not even a lil Chubby. He sticking to pure water from the tap because he aint letting no softdrinks kill him. I mean the fella get so scared that he wouldn't even drink lil lemonade just in case that fall under the softdrinks label.

A bit later on this fella said to himself oh ya know what? It is the sugar in the sweetdrinks that the obeah woman was trying to warn me about. Alright then, my man decide all sugar must done eat in all forms. So my man throw away the sugar jar. On mornings he drinking bare unsweetened bush tea. He wont look at a sweetie (candy) or a chocolate bar, he even stop his wife from baking sweet bread. God forbid he ever butt up on one of the old time sweets ladies selling sugarcake, glassie, comforts and black b**** (all homemade bajan confectionery) cause he would cross to the other side of the road and run like the devil self chasing after him.

So year after year my man living like that, making sure that no sugar aint passing his lips thinking he got this sugar thing beat. He trick the obeah woman, lol, he cheating death. Ya aint know that one evening he there sitting down in the veranda and a softdrinks truck coming down the road ketch a flat tire. The truck swerve went a bit off-balance and two cases of sprite fly off the back of the truck, lik down my man and kill he stone dead right dey on the spot.

Alright then ya see wha I mean? Same thing now. A fella might take precautions to avoid this avian flu and wearing all sort of mask and avoiding all sorta live birds but when ya turn around, he gone in Mcdonalds and choke on a chicken mcnugget. :-)

Anyway just thought I'd bring up this Avian flu thing. So don't be scared, just be aware.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a good one! Beware all softdrinks trucks.

Abeni said...

Lol,poor fella.Stay away from soft drinks yes.That bird flu thing sounding like the SARS bizniz eh.They had a big scare here one time saying a man suspected of SARS was walking bout the place.Then Health authorities had to come on air to try calm people fears

Campfyah said...

ha ha ha ha ha these days is funny night yuh know.

Campfyah said...

ha ha ha ha ha these days is funny night yuh know.

Scratchie said...

Reminds me of a movie I was watching over the weekend about some young people cheating death. When death ready for you it has a choice of tools so you just better be ready for it when it comes.

bitchdoctrine said...

I love those ole stories. Them old people know what they are talking about.

It's true about what you said though. If it's your time, then you got to go. You can't be like those kids on Final Destination, and cheat death.

I remember when CNN called Scarborough, "SARS Ground Zero", and everyone thought that we were infested with SARS. But, I wasn't affected as I should have been knowign that something like that is outta my hands. As long as I try to take care of myself to the best of my abilities, then I will be aight...

Urban Sista said...

Sometimes these things can just get outta hand. I remember with SARS my mother called me from Montreal to say:

"Be careful from that SARS."

As if SARS was a big green cloud you could walk around... "Lawd! Dere is de SARS! Run, boss, RUN!"

As Jdid says, be aware, don't run screaming for the hills just yet. And wash yuh hands!

Jdid said...

@anon- glad ya liked it
@abeni - SARs was overhyped
@camp - lol, true thing
@scratchie - yep you cant tell the death angel to wait because you got something to do, when he comes you gotta go.
@starfoxx - lol, glad you liked it, you aint joking about SARs. man chinatown was sparce sparce when SARs hit and I saw a BBC newsshow saying that nuff buildings in Toronto under quarantine. I had to wonder if them mean another Toronto.
@urban sis - man people freak out over SARs , my only wish is I had invest in them medical masks prior to the scare.

chrome said...

now you scaring us guy. avian flu. time to head for the hills. check list: tinned food, evian water, 10 oz. high grade, dried food...

Anonymous said...

Its all about moderation JDid. We can still tek precautions, but really, we never know. As you say, be aware. The way in which modern man travels helps spread disease quite effectively also.

Your descriptiopn of the coughing ting reminds of of taking the tube in London during winter. Everybody a cough inna you face. How I hated it.....constant cold one after the other. Dr. D.