Monday, May 4, 2009

Swine Flu Update - Cutting Through The Fluff

Mystical Paths

Wall Street Journal - "Don Weiss, director of surveillance in New York City's bureau of communicable disease, said authorities do not have the resources to test everyone. The only place in the world where testing is being done is at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The CDC is working to expand capacity for testing around the country, Mr. Weiss added.

"There are probably 10,000 people with the flu in New York," he said. "We just don't have the capacity to test that. People with the flu should stay home and call their doctor."


World News Reports state as of today there are 1,000 confirmed cases of the Mexican Swine-Type Flu worldwide. However, community news reports state confirmed cases all over. Similarly, World News Reports state "symptoms not unlike regular flu", but more direct reports state much scarier symptoms such as extremely high fever, loss of use of limbs, and hospital level care to recover for healthy adults.

The good news is there are few reports of deaths from any sources. So far, with doctor's care and hospitalization when necessary, patients are recovering.

That being the case, Mystical Path's advice is: time to upgrade your precautions, but downgrade your worry. On the spiritual side, time to focus davening on your and your family's safety, but be aware when the 'demons' of destruction are loosed they are empowered to ignore regular merit.

(Israel National News) Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar asked Jews on Monday to set aside a day of prayer and fasting for this coming Thursday for the welfare of the world in light of the H1N1 flu outbreak. He also called on people to repent and increase their study of Torah.

Rabbi Amar cited a Talmudic precedent that in the time of Rabbi Yehuda around 1,500 years ago, when he learned that the pigs had a disease, he immediately declared a day of fasting because he said that pigs have a similar digestive system to humans. In another Talmudic precedent, when Rabbi Shmuel heard of a disease in a far off place he also declared a fast, since the disease can pass from place to place.