Even swine flu has booted Susan off the front pages

May 8 2009 by Alan Shaw

UNTIL just over a week ago I don’t think I had ever heard the words swine and flu in the same sentence.

Now I can’t seem to hear or read a single sentence without them. It’s got so bad that Susan Boyle hasn’t been on the front pages for almost a week now.

What do we know about it though? Some pigs caught the flu from some birds, passed it onto some Mexicans and now the whole world is doomed. Or at least that’s what I managed to pick up from the news last week.

I’m not making light of it though, if the World Health Organisation are warning that a pandemic is imminent then it is a threat to be taken seriously. So it’s good to know that in order to combat the spread of infection we’ll soon be receiving… a leaflet. And if you’re really lucky, you might also get a paper mask.

I’m not entirely sure how that will work. What if the person delivering the leaflets is infected? And if we only get one mask each, how long before it starts to, well, go ‘a bit off’? And if all the masks are the same, what if we take them off for our tea break and end up picking up someone else’s?

Luckily, there are apparently enough antibiotics to treat one in four of us, should the pandemic kick off. There would have been enough for two in four, but something had to be recycled into masks and leaflets. It’s reassuring to know though that the spread of swine flu does appear to be contained and many of those who caught it have recovered well.

So I’m not worried. After all, I survived the hype caused by mad cow disease and bird flu.

Don’t worry, I still haven’t forgotten about Susan Boyle. The newly dyed hair and flowery frock didn’t get her on the front page last week, but I’m sure she’ll be back soon. And if I could just mention the credit crunch as well, that’s me just about covered all the news from the past month.

Remember, to catch up with everything that’s happening at West FM, keep an eye on the website, www.westfm.co.uk. I’ll talk to you on the breakfast show on 96.7 West FM, Monday to Friday from 6am.