How do we live with disease?
Enjoying outdoor silent disco during the COVID-19 pandemic
Taken 2021
This STILL isn’t my first pandemic. In a previous blog, I discussed how the HIV/AIDS pandemic shaped my approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, here we are, two years later – not only is Covid still a thing (spoiler: it’s not going away), but we’re actively tracking two new (to us) contagious diseases circulating in the U.S. - Polio and Monkeypox. Covid may have been the first pandemic that directly impacted some people, but it’s unlikely to be the last. This begs the question: how do we cope, as we look to this new horizon? We know that as a society we need social interaction. This is not just for kids - adults need social time too! And, often our favorite ways of socializing can expose us to communicable disease. Here’s the thing - that’s not new. We were always at risk of spreading germs to our loved ones, but now we have a few new players in the game. It’s not all doom and gloom though, the best news is that we have effective vaccinations to protect against Covid, Monkeypox and especially Polio. We also benefit from a public that is more aware and educated about mitigation strategies … because of what we’ve been through the past two years.
So, we know how to combat these communicable diseases; now we need a way to balance quality mitigation strategies with overall quality of life. I have a few thoughts (shocking, I know), that we can apply moving forward:
Shame (still) does not work - Please be kind. If someone chooses not to mask up, shaming them in public isn’t going to change their mind (in fact it might do the opposite). The same goes for those who still do wear a mask; shaming them out of their mask doesn’t help any of us. Provide opportunities for individuals to practice quality mitigation strategies (ex: extra masks, hand sanitizer, etc), but don’t chastise them when they don’t follow through - some things take time.
Make it easy - Provide extra masks, keep good-smelling hand sanitizer (anyone have any favorites?) accessible, and gather outside when possible. There are TONS of ways to make disease mitigation easier - strive to add one or two to your life.
Take a breather - We are living in a state of information overload and constant stress. When we jump from crisis to crisis, we are not only harming our immune system (the irony right?), but taking away from our quality of life. Take five minutes (heck, take three) and just sit. Few emergencies are worth your health - it can wait five minutes. It might still be there, and it might even have passed!
You can only control you - Not everyone will agree with your mitigation strategies - that’s ok. Do your best, model what works for you, and leave the rest.
Get Vaccinated!! - Yes, I buried the lead. Do I sound like a broken record yet? Getting vaccinated is the single easiest way to protect yourself and your family from severe disease. Your risk of getting severely sick and ending up in the hospital are far diminished. Furthermore, the more community members that get vaccinated, the closer we can be to herd immunity - this means the disease can no longer get a footing in the population and will subside.
Communicable disease is not going away - it’s a basic fact of human life that’s been with us for the ages. However, our ability to respond to disease and work to prevent it within our communities has evolved. We know more now about disease spread than ever. We know how to prevent infection and interrupt pandemics. We must keep doing what we know how to do!