Dec. 21, 2003 - 21:55 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Wily Enemy

Mary Winter, a Rocky Mountain News assistant city editor gave a little history of the 1918 flu epidemic here in town along with other figures anent the flu.

Rocky Mountain News October 6, 1918, "Denver was closed tight last night by an order of the board of health in an effort to check the spread of Spanish Influenza which already has claimed 17 victims in the city since Thursday. All schools, churches, picture shows, theaters and places of amusement are closed by the order and all meetings within closed walls are forbidden."

"The flu epidemic of 1918, considered the deadliest scourge in recorded history, claimed 500,000 U.S. lives and as many as 20 million to 100 million worldwide."

Further on in the article Mary Winter quotes, "We learn that "The disease has been so virulent this past week that the supply of oxygen, the last resort of pneumonia, is practically exhausted."

Later in her article she has this, "Denver health officials urged everyone to wear masks in public, but compliance was only about 10 percent, according to a November 24, 1918 story: "Masks Not Popular; Many People Ignore Health Board Rules."

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It was bad, really bad back then, people who finally recovered from the flu were debilitated and had been sick for a long time. Even today without flu shots the flu virus can strike anyone. The old, the ill and those with compromised immune systems are particularly vulnerable. Pneumonia which often struck victims of the flu was without the wonder drugs of today "anti-biotics" which can cure pneumonia.

We are ahead of the game aren't we ? We should be with all the modern medical goodies existing today that weren't thought of yet back then. Yet, I see very little handwashing in public restrooms, people with their hands at their faces and eyes, I have seen no masks being used. About the same 10 percent of careful folks as in 1918 ?

Flu virus is funny, funny - peculiar - not ha ha. It does those science fiction, fantasy things, it mutates. Luckily the flu shots this year are a close enough cousin to the Fujian strain that is floating around to provide a little protection, lessen the duration and discomfort suffered.

I wonder, these mutating viruses seem to be trying to find a weak spot, trying to propagate to infinity as it were. What would happen if a strain showed up unexpectedly that the flu shots just given couldn't protect the public ?

Sometimes the viruses outwit medical science and research scientists, they change faster than man keep track of them.

I don't necessarily think that agoraphobia is the solution - a person can starve to death if they can't get groceries and other necessities. But avoiding crowds if possible, even wearing a mask and constant hand washing would help a lot. Right now the malls are crowded with Christmas shoppers, schools going full blast as are places of amusement.

I fear that some day humans will be out maneuvered by some virus for which no protection exists yet. These viruses are Wily Enemies . . . . . . .

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