Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Scary historical diseases

Forget about Bird Flu, smallpox, or even chemical warfare. Apparently, the bubonic plague is making a comeback -- in Los Angeles, of all places.

6 comments:

DSL said...

It's the first confirmed case in L.A. since 1984, but 10-20 Americans contract it each year.

dara said...

Still, isn't it weird that they're making such a big deal about it?

DSL said...

Definitely, especially since it's treatable and is not a single, random occurence in the U.S. like they're making it sound. I think the outbreak of Mumps in the Midwest is stranger, particularly considering we're supposedly immunized to that particular disease.

dara said...

There's bird flu, and smallpox, and West Nile -- Oh My! -- and a salmagundi of other diseases that kill a handful of Americans each year, yet the news outlets run stories that make you think you have a 50% chance of dying every time you venture outside.
Meanwhile, things that really do kill people -- like cancer and heart disease -- get virtually no press.

dara said...

And FYI, Slate ran an article today on the mumps outbreak.

DSL said...

Guess diseases are ranked according to dramatic impact. Which makes the announcement of a case of bubonic plague in L.A. particularly apt. I can see the movie already.