H1N1 Comes to Thailand—Update

H1N1 flu numbers are climbing fast here. In terms of the rate of new infections, Thailand today seems to be roughly where the U.S. was a couple of months ago. The sudden surge, along with a death count that doubled in one week, is discouraging to many Thais. Some of them now have another reason to question the government. The government, in turn, has been overcautious about how much it reveals—a PR strategy that usually backfires.

When I returned from the U.S. recently, Jip’s caregivers asked me to buy them masks so they could protect themselves. They assumed I was infected and contagious. Fair enough—I’d just come from the country with the highest number of cases on the planet.

I didn’t mention to them that if anyone should be wearing a mask it should be me. There’s no conclusive evidence that masks prevent catching the flu, but it does seem to be true that they can prevent giving it to others.

Feeling fine, I went to the pharmacy and bought a handful of masks for everyone. As I paid, the pharmacist made a few tick marks on a piece of paper near the register. I asked what she was doing. She said that her shop—a little place on a back street—has been selling ten masks an hour.

Hand washing gel is now available outside the elevators at both home and at work. Rainy season (also the time of year here for the regular, “seasonal” flu) is far from over. It could be a long one.