Title: Video Diary of Doctor Wakair
Entry Date: 14-6-021-8875
Ship: ESS Glenwen
*Audio transcription:
...
So there’s this thing back on the human homeworld called “Cold and Flu Season,” right? It’s a period of time of the year when humans are more likely to get sick with illnesses known as the “common cold” and “the flu.” It tends to happen more when the seasons start to change from warm to cold. Honestly, it’s an interesting naming choice from the humans, they’re like, “Oh it’s cold and I am sick.” “Oh? Sick with what?” “Uh, sick with the cold. I have been infected by cold.” If you didn’t already know this, humans are very hit and miss with creativity in naming conventions.
Anyway, Cold and Flu Season. It happens when cold weather arrives, which can weaken immune systems. Many humans don’t mind the cold, but they will spend more time inside, which can increase spread of infections. Also the lower temps typically bring lower humidity levels, which not only irritate the humans’ airways when they breathe, but also provides an environment that allows the viruses that cause cold and flu to be transmitted.
Now, you may be saying, “Dr. Wakair, that’s on the human homeworld, though. You work on a climate-controlled Gee-10 Star Cruiser. Why would you be concerned about the humans on your crew having a cold or flu season?” To which I would say, “Exactly. That’s what I thought too.”
And yet, here I am with an entire wing of the med bay in quarantine because all but two of the humans aboard this ship are sick.
Come here. Let me tell you a little something about the human immune system. It is a juggernaut. Usually. There are two main branches of defense: the innate and the adaptive systems. The innate happens first and responds to all germs and foreign infections the same way, by attacking. If that fails, the adaptive system steps in and specifically identifies the threat, catalogs it, kills it, and then remembers it so the next time it can react even faster.
Now this is not entirely unique among the galactic community, but two of the many things that make the human immune system so impressive are 1- the adaptability, and 2- the extreme measures.
For reason 1, you may know that a majority of species have a few types of environments they like to live in. Usually, the ones they are adapted to best. I mean, you'd be hard-pressed to get a squifra to willingly move to the Bright Desert on Mingui 3. Or convince an akeno to take up residency at a research station in the glacial cliffs of Plenthas Kar. But humans? They’re adapted to open grasslands, but they’ll go anywhere. And I mean ANYWHERE. Humid rainforests? Humans. Frozen mountains? Humans. Predator-infested swamps? Humans. Active volcanoes? Humans love those! Especially if those volcanoes are tropical islands.
What all this means is that humans get around. They put themselves in situations they are not built for and expose themselves to diseases they normally never come in contact with. But they do. They adapt. Their immune systems remember. They become stronger. They become immune, or at least resistant, to an insane amount of otherwise deadly diseases.
Now for reason 2, human immune systems are not afraid to take drastic measures. Take, for instance, the humans in my care right now who are sick with a common variant of an influenza virus. One of their symptoms is a fever, an innate immune response. Basically, the body’s temperature rises to increase the production of white blood cells, various proteins, and enzymes that are essential to fight off the virus. As an added benefit, many bacteria and viruses don’t reproduce well in higher temperatures.
(sigh) The thing is, the human body can take the fever too far.
Humans already have a moderately large range of internal body temperatures that are deemed normal, or at least safe-ish. But if fevers last too long, or get too hot, the body risks damaging itself. Heat stroke. Organ failure. Brain damage. Death. Yes, their immune system “plays chicken,” as the humans say, and gambles that the pathogens will die before their body does! Are you kidding me?!
Oh, side note, don’t even get me started on their immune systems attacking things they shouldn’t, like food, joints, organs, or even itself. That’s insane. I can talk about that later.
Anyways. I guess fevers works well enough that the benefits outweigh the costs, usually. At least often enough that it continues to be the immune system’s go-to defense. If you excuse me, I have to go make sure my patients are still well-hydrated and that they ate all the acidic fruit I left for them. I also need to make sure the kitchens send them up some soup. Humans need some extra care when their bodies are at war.
Sherlock is deeply offended that a microscopic organism has succeeded where criminals have failed. Well, at least he would be if he could think. His mind palace is 90% snot.
Oh no! You got the big that’s ravaging the west coast? Good luck. I’m on week 3 of it. The first week is the pits. Then a slow climb back to feeling ok. Take care of your sweet self.
Oh goodness!🫂😭 I hope you are feeling better? I am much better now, thank you.❤️
Rest and fluids! Sending you love and well wishes.🫂❤️
out of an abundance of caution i think it's a Great time to remind ourselves some of the things we learned during the COVID pandemic
wash your hands. it's crazy how many people skip over this thing that takes 2 minutes. wash your hands before you prepare or touch food. wash before you eat. wash after you get home from being out and about. wash your hands and forearms after you leave the airport. Never touch your face without washing your hands first. wash your hands before and after you hang out with kids or elders. get a decent hand lotion, then gently wipe off the excess lotion with a paper towel or tissue. cmon.
back the fuck up and give people some space in public. maybe we don't need to space out 6 ft away from each other currently but god damn some of y'all are sharing personal bubbles with strangers. cmon. if people get mad at you for standing 3 feet back from the person in front of you, give them the weird eye like "are you crazy?"
take illness tests a couple days before and after you travel. your local health departments and several retail pharmacies typically have them for free.
If you're fucking sick, stay the fuck at home. I'm sorry that your plans didn't go the way you want them to, I understand it can feel depressing, but come on. Could you please be a good neighbor and do your best to not further spread disease?
I went looking for explanations as to how I could've gotten two big colds this year, and I found articles from back in November saying this could be a bad cold and flu season incoming. I don't know when cold and flu season begins, though. If I knew that, I'd have all the answers I need on this subject.
Because I got a nasty cold in September. Then I had some brushes with minor colds in November all the way through to February. But it's only now that it's March that I've begun feeling really sick again. I don't know if all of this perfectly coincides with cold and flu season, but it certainly coincides with something else. More specifically, it coincides with College beginning and College approaching it's end.
College began in September, right when I got my first cold. College also ends in April or May. It now coincides with my cold here in March, just a month or two behind everything. Do I think those things are interconnected? No. No, I don't think that. I think the cold and flu thing is more likely. Do I think it's a bizarre coincidence, though? Absolutely. It's an incredibly bizarre thing to have happen.
Anyway, here's a listing for KN-95 masks for 25 cents each (as of 09-22-2024) from The Home Depot so USAmericans, stock up and protect yourselves and your neighbors!
Reminder that just wearing a mask and keeping your sinuses protected from cold, dry air can help keep you healthy! Mask up even if you're not feeling sick or have been exposed to anything recently. It's good for you!
