Cold and Flu Prevention

Despite the herculean efforts to remain well it has invaded the abode and serves as a reminder adults are one of the worst abusers in cold and flu preparation. This time of the year the cold and flu are common things in many places. We have been fortunate, but seem to be bitten by the actions of one irresponsible adult. There was one particular child that had noticeable cold symptoms such as a red and crusty nose with the sniffles at church.

Unfortunately that adult decided to bring the incubator to church in order to affect others and despite the warnings has managed to infect others. I am a firm believer in isolating oneself or children if you have may be contagious. Too bad this adult did not feel the same way. Oh well she probably got her 30 minutes to an hour child free. I guess her desires exceed the health of other people.

We will certainly make it I am sure and it serves as a great reminder to the children of the importance of how to prevent the transfer of diseases. It did get me to thinking not about cold and flu prevention, but how the Indians in North Carolina suffered when they first came into contact with the Europeans. It did not end well for the Native Americans on many levels.

Th different Indian tribes in North Carolina at that time had no immunity to the diseases that the white man brought with him. The Tuscarora, Catawba, and Cherokee to name a few might have been helpful and capable of defending themselves, but they could not overcome the diseases.

There was an estimated 5,000 Catawba Indians in North Carolina in the 1600’s. Mostly through the effects of small pox many died and by 1784 there were fewer than 1784. This had a devastating effect on a culture and way of life. Try resisting an occupation with that loss of life.

What can we take from this in regards to the importance of cold and flu prevention? Since we have irresponsible adults that are intent on dispersing incubators into the general populous we must make sure that we have our sanitation efforts in full effect. The minimum should be hand washing and no putting hands to mouth or eyes until after being cleanly washed. Also make sure that any infected people cover their mouth and dispose of their own tissue.