Sunday, April 4, 2010

Korea public health reader
(April 4, 2010 edition)

  • In the wake of the brother of actress Choi Jin-shil taking his own life, psychiatrists in South Korea remind the public that suicide is "contagious but preventable."
  • Cat naps (mini siestas?) are reportedly a good way to beat springtime fatigue.  
  • With the threat from H1N1 having waned, half of all doses of the once hard-to-come-by vaccine — perhaps tens of millions — may have to be discarded. I, for one, did not get mine until just last month. When it first came out and there weren't enough doses to go around, I was too old (over twenty-five, I think), then when they released it for everyone, I was ineligible to get it done at the student health center because I wasn't enrolled in enough credits to be counted as full time, and after that my insurance had temporarily lapsed. Finally I just went into Safeway one evening and paid the nine bucks (the price had dropped). Why get the vaccine when I already got through flu season without contracting H1N1? Because I figure that when Son of Swine Flu (the slightly mutated relative of H1N1) rolls around a few decades later, I might not be as youthful and healthy as I am now. By the way, I did get my seasonal flu shot (for free), back when I was fully insured.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Share your thoughts, but please be kind and respectful. My mom reads this blog.