There has been a mumps outbreak in Macedonia, due to the complete lack of vaccinations for an entire generation of children in the mid-90's, who are now in high school.
This has caused all of my twenty-something American friends to look at each other curiously and engage in the following conversation:
"Mumps? Do people still get that?"
"I think it's like the Chicken Pox?"
"Did we get vaccinated for that? How long does that last?"
"I don't remember, man."
"Me either. I should probably call my mom."
So, how 'bout it, Ma? Can I go outside without a surgical mask over my face, Japanese-style?
Eric and Justin have nice write-ups of the events. Here's a news item about it.
so is this something that could spread to say, other countries??? my mom would not be happy to hear about such things...
ReplyDeleteHi Seth! Nice blog! I have to get caught up on reading it but it sounds like you are having a most interesting year. Macedonia looks like some kind of magical land. Very nice. I bet you are getting pretty proficient in Macedonian now. Unfortunately, the other day my cousins asked me to say "The apple is red" in Macedonian and I could not remember a single word. Then they asked me to say anything at all and I still couldn't think of anything. I'm taking Japanese now. Well, anyway, hopefully you don't get mumps!
ReplyDelete