Kelly's A Jerk

Here are some interesting statistics:

* The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 35 to 50 million Americans come down with the flu each flu season, which typically lasts from November to March. More than 100,000 people are hospitalized and 20,000 people die from the flu and its complications every year.

* The SDA estimates that 76 million Americans get sick, more than 300,000 are hospitalized, and 5,000 die each year from foodborne illness.

* One in 10 hospitalized patients, or about 2 million people a year, will acquire an infection after admission. These infections contribute to the death of nearly 90,000 hospital patients per year, according to the CDC.

* Americans spend about $5 billion each year on colds - about $3 billion on doctors' visits and $2 billion on treatments.

I'm not saying that a little dirt will kill you. I'm saying that diseases and germs are easily spread. I'm saying that we can all do our part to slow that. I'm saying that things like West Nile and Salmonella do exist and that we shouldn't scoff at the mere possibility of becoming infected with such an illness. Yes, I'm aware that viruses change over time and that they are able to mutate themselves in a fashion that prevents them from being affected, much less killed, by antibiotics but does that mean that we should also stop testing for a cure for AIDS? I have a brilliant idea, Kelly, why don't we all go out and have random, unprotected sex with as many people as possible and then compare numbers of infectious diseases at the end of the month. It can be a fabulous contest to see who contracts AIDS first. Abstinence on any count is stupid, but so is reckless abandon. Why do something stupid when we can simply be proactive about it?

Whatever. I'm going to bed. You should take care of your dog.