Oink Oink

I gotta tell you, I am not one to be an alarmist, but this whole swine flu outbreak scares me. It's frightening how fast something can spread all over the world. The US had its first reported death and my initial fear is that this is only the beginning. Arizona now has its first confirmed case and honestly that makes me a little uneasy.

We're not out and about a lot, but we do go to the Children's Museum regularly, the gym child watch area, the library, not to mention stores and restaurants. Truly, you can catch something just about anywhere you go, so I'm not really one to live in seclusion but I have to be honest and say I have been hesitant to go anywhere that is not absolutely necessary in the past few days.

I say this next part with some hesitancy because I don't want it taken the wrong way. However, we live in Arizona. Not only are we close in proximity to Mexico but there are many who come from Mexico regularly to visit family in town. With the outbreak starting in Mexico and seeming to be most severe there it is unsettling that these travelers could be exposing the rest of us to a potentially deadly virus.

It concerns me even more because our son has severe respiratory problems when he is ill. A normal cold virus in most of us becomes pneumonia with him. Something that may put us in bed for a few days puts him in the hospital. It makes me nervous.

Like I said, I don't want to be an alarmist but on the other hand I don't want to foolishly expose my family. I guess for now we will just be careful and stock up on hand sanitizer.