From Me To You: About Weathering This Storm

Sometimes issues just seem to pick us. I never really set out to learn all there is to know about influenza, bioterrorism, infectious diseases (and I certainly have not even come close to achieving that end)….this life path just opened up somehow and I find myself trudging along trying to avoid the potholes and major obstacles that crop up from time to time.

My friend Debi @ A Pandemic Chronicle pointed us to an article written by Peter Sandman, another highly respected gentleman whose writing I have been fascinated by over recent years. He is a personable gentleman who is down to earth and he really knows risk communication.

I read what my fellow bloggers had to say today, even the Reveres weighed in, and DemFromCt @ Daily Kos had a wonderful article, Helen Branswell, Mike at Avian Flu Diary, (as I referenced in my previous post) and I am sure, though I haven’t checked yet, Crawford Kilian has had some wonderful insight.

I had to push back from my pc and take a breath.

There is a profound dialogue going on here.

An equally profound message is working its way through the many posts on the subject by all of us. None of us are claiming any expertise, not that I am aware of. I think that for the most part what we are trying to convey here is a message of deep caring and concern for our fellow man and we are all healers of a sort trying to prevent tragedy. So maybe I shouldn’t be putting words in my fellow flu blogger’s mouths. They do an excellent job on their own. But this is the impression that I have of all of them. A deep caring and commitment to their readers. And the fact is, we may not always get our messaging right but when you read between the many lines of flowing dialogue a caring heart of shows through.

Not one person, and I know most of these folks personally as friends, wants to “get it wrong” not one wants to add to anyone’s burden or stress. Not one would want to harm a single hair on anyone’s head and all of them are doing their utmost to educate and inform because each and every one of us know that this imparted information can be a benefit to you, the reader.

On my end, and for my contribution, I have to work very hard at understanding these technical studies so that I can attempt to convey what I think they are saying in order that I can translate that into some sort of workable action on our parts. I may not be so good at this. But what I try to do, what “voice” I try to have, is the one where I am explaining what I am reading to my better half, my husband, and my family and how if we do *A* we many not feel the effects of *B*.

This has been an ongoing effort by a great many people in greater “flublogia”, as we like to call ourselves, and we reside all over the globe. We have come together in order to think through some of these issues that will eventually effect us all.

So if I get any part of this wrong, if I misspeak, or misunderstand, and then misadvise, please know that I have done so with no ill will and certainly no intent to hurt a single person.

When it comes to advice, I really have no sure way, no certain path to see our way through a pandemic let alone a flu season. All I can do is point to the issues and who is speaking about them. I can tell you what advice I am taking and why and this by no means should be taken as my advice to you or an admonishment to you for not doing what I have chosen.

There is value in awareness and education. But I learn from each of you as much as you hopefully learn from me.

Onward, Upward and thanks for reading,

Catherine

Or as my friends know me as “Jackie”

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