It's hard to really try and comprehend the situation I find myself in. I'm travelling in Puebla, Mexico. It's about 3-4 hours away from Mexico City, where people have been wearing masks since we arrived. Upon arrival, curiousity ran through all of us as we wondered why people were wearing surgical masks. A cab driver told us that it was simply a precation for people in the food serving industry, but as soon found out, we were in the middle of an influenza outbreak and people were dying.
To be honest, I still haven't come to terms with it. To my credit, I've at least had an interest in deadly flu outbreaks for a long time. It'll probably do me some good. I've read about how certain towns survived the deadly 1908? American influenza outbreak with hardly any cases of infection. One of the keys is to contantly wash your hands and be mindful of what you touch, including yourself. It sounds simple enough but there are some people that just can't control themselves, let alone their complusive actions.
Anyway, we've travelled to a few cities since the outbreak began. We knew the risks but did so anyway -- in public transportation. I really wanted to grab a mask early on but the naivity kept me from doing so. Unfortunately, masks are now sold out nearly everywhere and I worry about our commute to the airport.
It really is funny. You'd think that in the face of an influenza flu outbreak that people would grow up and start taking precautions. Not the case with me, and not the case with most people in this city, Chipilo. I'm glad that it hasn't had much of a negative affect on our vacation but I realize the responsibility I have to myself, my family and my country to come home healthy. I think that's the most important thing I'm going to get out of this ordeal.
