Back from Mexico City (part 3 and final)

Four and a half hours on a bus with a surgical mask is a little too much for a 5.5 month old baby. It was an incredibly long bus ride and, unfortunately, we did not manage to keep the facemask on Santi the whole way home. I took off my mask in hopes that if something was actually going to be caught... I would catch it first and produce antibodies for Santi to fight it off.
As we got into Xalapa, medical personnel entered the bus and asked everyone if they felt sick in anyway... I had a headache, but that was not the kind of symptoms they were looking for. They actually did not look twice at us since we were about the only ones in the bus (that was pretty empty to start with) that had kept their mask on the whole trip!
Xalapa was almost oblivious of the Mexico City epidemic it seemed. No face masks about the streets. Not much local coverage of any Flu. Sunday was just another normal day in Xalapa with funky news coming from Mexico City. It was until Monday when things started changing a little.
School was ongoing in Xalapa even though I would have gladly kept the boys home. It was until the middle of the day, when the Government of Mexico started pondering the way the sickness was spreading throughout the country that they decided to cancel classes Nationwide. And even if it meant having two very bored boys at home, I was happy to minimize any contagion possibility, more so because of the littlest one of us.
The Flu is called swine flu but really a mix between human, avian and swine, and is otherwise known to the World as N1H1 or North American Flu or Mexico Flu. It is still a new bug and everyday more news come out about its “mottus operandi” , but it is pretty much a flu.
I had never had the Flu before living in the US for a few years. In all my life in Mexico, I never had a Flu shot or contracted the Flu. I actually think much of the Mexican population has never had either even today (no Flu and no Flu shot). I find it almost logical that with the poverty levels, bad nourishment and awful hygiene in Mexico, the population is prone to catch this bug with a vengeance and, unfortunately, succumb to it. Our bodies (ok, I already have had both shots and flu itself) have never experienced any kind of Flu bug so there is no precedent in our immune system... Ugh, that reminds me of our bleak history, when the Conquistadores came to America bearing gifts... And chicken pox! We had no chance then, we are not doing too good now. And add to the mix the fact that most Mexican inhabitants do not go to the doctor (at all) unless they are about dead. No wonder most of the deaths in Mexico have been due to complications of patients who wait to go to the hospital until the illness is way on the way!
So, we are still at home, playing it safe and sharing time together. We go out to get groceries and don our blue facemasks. I have stopped taking Santi around (he hates being cooped up!), but it is too hard to keep the blue mask on! We have more antibacterial in the car than at home and live our lives washing our hands... And consuming big amounts of vitamin C.
In all, Xalapa is far from worried about the Flu it seems. Jevon went downtown yesterday and it was like a big Holiday. All the streets were packed, the Park was bustling, the stores full and no sign of face masks. The news report no real cases of the Flu in the area, but we know better. Its here, as it is in many other places, but that person who has it has not gone to the doctor yet...
I keep receiving mails filled with rumors and propaganda.... These people really need to get a life! Or start getting informed and keeping from adding to the misinformation that is already spreading (it spreads more than the actual facts do!!!!). I just think it is important to keep it in perspective: prevent getting the sickness and not get sick worrying over it.
A) The (so called) Swine Flu is treatable and curable. (deaths have occurred due to complications for not seeking timely medical attention)
B) There is no immunization for the Swine Flu available anywhere in the World- it is a new sickness (some people are flocking to places where they are “selling” the immunization- poor dopes)
C) The illness is transmissible through droplets (sneeze, cough, saliva) from human to human- use facemask in places where you will be at a proximity of 1.5 meters or less from someone. (it is not flying in the air in aerosolized state)
D) The dried particles of saliva on objects will keep the virus alive for a while so wash, wash and disinfect your hands before touching your face (and after touching anything outside your home- supermarket carts, money).
E) It is not transmissible through pork meat, so you can have ribs.
F) Avoid crowded spaces
G) Keep your immunity (defenses) up - sleep well, eat well and stop stressing
H) You don’t get the Flu if you stand out in the rain and get cold (people still think viruses appear if you get cold!)
I) It is everywhere... Not only in Mexico... Viruses migrate better than mosquitoes! Not all cases ever get to see a doctor or go to the hospital. So prevent and don’t think no one has it in your city.
And by all means: avoid gossip!

Any who... We are still being watchful to see if any of us develop any symptoms from our Mexico City trip since they are not sure what the gestation period is in this bug- 24hrs, 48 hrs, 5 days, 7 days-. We’ll hope to stay healthy.