Perhaps The Dumbest Idea Ever -
By: Jane Wells
Correspondent AP
Young boy wearing protective mask against possible swine flu
People like parties. Parties are big business. Tupperware parties! Gold-selling parties! Botox parties!
Swine flu parties?
The
BBC reports that some Brits are holding "parties" where they
intentionally mingle with people infected by the H1N1 virus. Party-goers
expose themselves to infection in order to get sick now and build up
resistance to H1N1 before the virus becomes deadlier this winter.
"I
don't think it is a good idea," Dr. Richard Jarvis of the British
Medical Association says with characteristic British understatement.
Even though this particular flu virus is generally mild, Dr. Jarvis
points out that "people still get ill, and there is a risk of
mortality."
Dr. Jarvis says contracting the virus at a party will
only serve to spread it around, which means vulnerable people may end
up getting sick enough to die. Not nice.
I may be exaggerating,
but one doesn't have to connect too many dots between this sort of
behavior and eating barbiturate-laced pudding, putting on black Nikes
[NKE 51.70 -0.72 (-1.37%) ], and waiting to meet the spaceship
behind the Hale-Bopp Comet. I'm hard pressed to come up with a dumber
idea for a party (and, believe me, I've thrown plenty of dumb
parties--don't ask about the whole pineapple I put in a pool of green
Jell-O and studded with sausage-laden toothpicks).
If you're concerned about the flu, here's a much better idea for a party: a hygiene party! Sell Soapopular! Tamiflu! The Comfort Wipe! A full body condom!
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