healthy and beautiful

No puns intended, but swine flu has literally hogged the spotlight internationally. On the 2nd of May, 2009, Times of India reported 3 suspected cases. By the 7th of August, 2009, Economic Times reported a dramatic hike of 712 total victims having been infected with the deadly virus. Just days ago, BBC reported 6 deaths among the swine flu victims in India. Newshopper.sulekha.com, reported “Since May 16, when the first case was reported in Hyderabad, more than 4,000 people have been tested for influenza A (H1N1) virus. Of these, 840 people have tested positive.” They also had written of how a swine flu test kit will cost Rupees 5,000 for a regular test, and Rupees 10,000 once the victim is confirmed positive with the flu. Apparently it takes a minimum of six hours for the test to return with positive results.

The monsoon is here and shouts of joy can be heard through the streets! As the rain washes away the waves of heat, the crowds are simply loving the clear, clean, cold, windy weather. This season is a risky one as far as infection and disease is concerned. Until now, I'd known that it was easy to get throat infections, colds, coughs, bronchitis, viral fevers and the like, in this rainy weather. Yesterday however, I called up my tattoo-artist friend from Dragonfly Tattoo Studio (he's got a tattoo studio in G.K. Market, Delhi) to ask him about navel piercings. He advised me that this wasn't the right time to get that sort of stuff done, as the moisture in the air is perfect for infections to breed. He added that the best time during this season, would be in the end of August as the air is drier then and a piercing would heal quicker. By the same token, my dentist advised me to allow extra recovery time for my scheduled surgery this weekend, as the rainy weather is perfecting ...