Nasty Bugs !

Mexico City: A couple wearing masks kiss in the street

Mexico City: A street vendor takes advantage of the outbreak by selling face masks

Mexico City: A soldier hands out surgical masks in the Zocalo plaza

Mexico City, Mexico: A mariachi wears a mask as he plays the violin

Mexico City, Mexico: A woman gets her throat checked by medical personnel before entering a bar

Mexico City, Mexico: Police officers wearing a surgical masks at the entrance to the metropolitan cathedral


It feels like a 'de ja vu' of bird flu, apparently you catch it just like you would do if someone else has a flu. It supposedly varies in severity, with the worst cases leading to fatal pneumonia and respiratory failure. The new strain seems to be more lethal to those in the 25 to 45 age range - an ominous sign, as this was a hallmark of the Spanish 1918 flu pandemic that killed tens of millions worldwide. Younger people were probably hit harder by the 1918 flu virus because their immune systems over-reacted

The face mask I see in the pictures gives a false sense of security. They are 'paper tissue like' and if you wear it for one whole hour, the mask gets moist and wet around your mouth. ( I would know having to wear those darn things when I was nursing the ill) Unless you have bought yourself a whole box of face masks and change it every hour, then you might be okay. Even then, it's not a 100 percent preventative measure. The better face mask is the surgical face mask which the surgeons wear in theatres. And that, I add 'better', not 100 percent. I used to place two clinical face mask (which are the ones they are handing out) and then the surgical mask on top, if there was a flu bug going around the ward.

If you're interested to read more on swine flu, click here