Basic hygiene is so, so, passe. Washing hands? Tres boring, n'est pas? Besides, we have antibiotics...even if they are losing their effectiveness in many diseases...even if prevention is better than treatment....

I remember receiving tuberculin tests in grade school. I remember getting both Salk and Sabin vaccines, as well as DPT, tetanus, and others. Now parents are avoiding vaccinations by claiming religious reasons even if they are not of that religious persuasion.

When, not if, a pandemic comes I think that there are going to be many die unnecessarily, deaths that could have been prevented by basic hygiene and immunizations.

Me, I'll continue to get flu shots, tetanus shots, pneumonia shots, and so on. I also drive in the daytime with my headlights on -- I'll take every advantage I can get.