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Flu Season
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11/05/2009 - 3:45 PM
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 You know “Just Like Us,” that section of Us Weekly where they show paparazzi shots of celebrities doing everyday things like eating ice cream or putting gas in their cars? Well, this week they could include a photo of Tommy Haas shivering under a blanket on the couch while watching daytime TV amid a pile of tissues. Yes, Haas has contracted the H1N1 virus. Turns out stars are just like us!
But of course H1N1 is not something to be taken lightly. The World Health Organization announced today that it is now the dominant influenza strain around the globe. More than a million people have been infected in the U.S. The scary thing about H1N1 is that there are many cases where it has led to complications causing more serious health issues and even death, especially among those with existing health issues. Most people, however, recover on their own and experience H1N1 as a regular case of the flu. That seems to be how the illness has gone for Haas: “It was a shock for me,” he said in the German newspaper Bild. “I’ve calmed down now because although swine flu is a very strong form of flu, you can quickly overcome it when you’re in good physical condition like I am.” To prevent H1N1, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth, be religious about hand-washing, and keep your distance from people who are sick. If you get sick, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that you stay home until at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the aid of fever-reducing drugs. Haas seems to be following that advice. He pulled out of Basel this week and will probably miss next week’s Paris Masters. Get well soon, Tommy. I also wanted to take this chance to thank you for your feedback on last week’s blog and pass along this related article on nonprofits' efforts to replace junk food with more quality, fresh foods at convenience stores in areas where there aren't other shopping options. Regardless of your stance in the weight debate, I think most can appreciate what these organizations are doing. And as an update to the Slate article I linked to, Chris Christie ended up winning the governor’s race in New Jersey on Tuesday. I guess his weight wasn’t such a factor, after all.
7 Comments
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Posted by Adj |
11/05/2009 at 08:04 PM |
First! Yahoo! |
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Posted by bogdan juncu |
11/05/2009 at 08:22 PM |
Good day. It is refreshing to see such well-thought advice shared in a calm yet slightly cheerful manner. Why is this important? There seems to be a lot of panic in public communication in urban environments, while the reality is much simpler and less dramatic than presented by many commentators. It is also important that balanced life styles are promoted, again in a calm manner, the most effective way to influence behaviour. Well done. |
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Posted by JimF |
11/05/2009 at 10:29 PM |
A few notes: While washing hands frequently is a good idea anyway, the H1N1 flu's spread is predominantly airborne.
The idea that you can still be sick from the flu, but because your fever has declined you are no longer contagious is highly questionable IMHO. If you have the virus in you, and you sneeze, you're spreading it. That you can be sick with the flu for 10 days but only contagious for two is most likely an easy cop-out since it is easier to get people to stay home for a day or two than for ten. |
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Posted by i m off |
11/06/2009 at 05:18 AM |
He's top 20 in the world again now and had a chance to be top 16 before 2010 Australian Open with these 2 tournaments and the points and matches he could've won and gained. Now without playing, his season is over and he won't be a top 16 seed for Australia most likely, so his 3rd round will be tough for him probably now against a top 16 player, instead of the 4th against maybe top 8.
Just Tommy's luck. He can't beat Isner and his big serve anyway, so he might as well lose to Isner again in the 1st or 2nd round, like he usually does against big John. |
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Posted by EndocrineMD |
11/06/2009 at 10:09 AM |
To Sarah's update above, Christie probably won, or gained votes anyway, specifically because Corzine tried to make Christie's weight an issue in an ill-considered desperation ad. Christie turned the tables in a hilarious Imus interview that was replayed on other news channels and the Internet over and over days before the election. So what we thought might be a cynical, mean politician winning with dirty tricks, the People appear to have punished him for being a cad regarding the weight issue.
I do think that the #1 way to tackle the weight issue is for the available food in as many locations as possible to be healthy choices. Natural. Low Fat, Low Sugar and Low Salt simply mean that a company hasn't dumped huge quantities of that junk into the food. Americans need to retrain their tastes, and there have to be financial incentives/disincentives, for example in health care costs, in order to work.
One area I might disagree with Haas is that if you have some extra weight on you, H1N1 is less likely to kill you since your body has extra energy stores to use when you are unable to eat and get weak. Chris Christie would probably have a better time with the illness than Haas. A small advantage to the extra cushion...the other being that your body doesn't get cold (and subject to microbes) quite as easily. |
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Posted by Cosi |
11/07/2009 at 01:50 AM |
I think the number one way to tackle the weight issue,is for those who have a weight issue, to be motivated to stop having one, not by forcing people to eat what others want them to, or forcibly stopping them from eating what they want to. I also don't think thin people should be penalized and kept away from whatever sugary, salty great tasting food they want just because other people don't have the self control to eat those kind of foods in moderation. |
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Posted by Tom |
11/07/2009 at 07:20 PM |
My gripe with fat people:
I am on the fit & lean side. The fat ones often pick me to sit next to in public transportation, since they get more space.
So there I am sitting with some else's belly on my lap. Not to mention paying for the extra fuel planes/busses etc. use to lug these people around.
I know several people with weight issues. Just look at their diets ( quantity & quality). They are often lucky they didn't weigh another 100 pounds. I am, of course, too polite to point this out to the above mentioned people.
Often I hear them wax eloquent about weight loss issues, which looking at their stature, they are ill qualified to talk about.
Tom |
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