Of Swine Flu and Summer Health Scares

It doesn't take much to get the rumour mills working overtime in a place like Dubai -tech-savvy people with their mobiles, blackberry's and other gadgets are constantly trying to "keep in touch", circulating news that ranges from the banal to the bizzare.....take the whole scare with McDonald's for instance - Swine Flue is suddenly the talk of the town, coming hot on the heels of the case of the two little children that died of food poinsoning after being treated for food poisoning at a Dubai hospital. And the overdose of Swine Flue news - its being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation just recently isn't helping either - has most recently caught up with McDonald's with one of the fast-food chain's employees in its Al Nasr Street outlet supposedly having contacted the disease. McDonald's had to issue an official declaration that they are in the clear:

Swine flu rumours false, says McDonald's

McDonald's Arabia has been forced to issue a denial that any of its employees have been infected with the H1N1 swine flu virus and that it has had to close one of its retail food outlets, following rumours spread by mobile SMS messages and across the internet. It said the text messages, sent over the past week, were 'not true whatsoever' and urged people to instead rely on 'credible information' from 'official bodies'. Government ministries have also dismissed the rumours.

Now, while panic and knee-jerk reactions are not uncommon when it comes to diseases, things could reach alarming heights if we don't each and every one of us, take precautions to stop spreading malicious rumours, Maybe there's someone that doesn't quite like fast-food, someone else who is communist or anti-capitalist (no, they are no longer the same thing, I am afraid!). Maybe, the thing to do in situations like this, is to take what preventive action we can, and leave the rest.....eat at home as often as possible, when you are eating out make sure you choose a restaurant that is clean and has a good safety record (that is often apparent from the exterior itself). And NEVER order food from a place which you haven't seen or know nothing about. Slightly more difficult than the other points to consider....but definitely critical when it comes to your health and the lives of your near and dear ones. Of course, living the frenetic pace that some of us do, we certainly can't avoid eating out altogether. So let's take some effort to stay safe, and then, let it go. Nothing to be gained by rumour-mongering of course!