Sickness

It seems that northern California is enduring something of a plague. Nearly everybody I know has been afflicted with a respiratory infection that causes severe coughing, as well as nasal and respiratory congestion. It appears to go away after a few days or as the weather turns better, but it still gives me concern.

I had thought it was confined to the Central Valley. I myself caught it after an overnight stay in Stockton. It also seemed to be prevalent in Tracy. However, the fellow at the Apple store in Emeryville who sold me my new MacBook indicated that he had felt it as well, and the store had endured a string of worker absences, all due to the same illness.

It just makes me wonder what would happen if such a widespread disease was fatal, even in a minority of cases. I suppose if I had lived in China during the SARS scare, I might know. I hope that I can look back on this entry in the years ahead and declare that my fears were unfounded. But at this juncture, I cannot make such a statement with any confidence at all.