January 21, 2024

Hurkle Durkle Time

We are now in winter’s ‘dark, stay warm in bed’ phase. The Scots call that “Hurkle Durkle.” I admit to enjoying an extra few minutes under the covers, reveling in the warmth, snuggling just a little bit longer, not wanting to face the cold or the day yet. It feels luxurious after so many years of getting up early on a cold, dark winter morn. Allow yourself to enjoy the small kindness of it.

The news otherwise isn’t so happy. The CDC is warning about salmonella in charcuterie trays sold at Sam’s Club and Costco. Georgia has a case of measles in an unvaccinated person who traveled out of the country and brought it back. Washington state, Delaware, and Philadelphia have cases too. England has an outbreak of measles to due to vaccine hesitancy. Cases of Whooping Cough are showing up in the Tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Health officials are blaming it on vaccine fatigue, and encouraging people to get caught up. Pertussis or Whooping Cough can cause severe illness in infants. They cough so hard, they can’t breathe, making a whooping sound at the end of their coughing fit. When adults get it, they may cough for weeks. The common Tdap vaccine that prevents Tetanus can prevent Pertussis, that’s what the P stands for.

It seems these small outbreaks have potential for becoming larger in the future as the other outbreak is building. That is vaccine skepticism. More and more parents are becoming fearful of all vaccines, not just the COVID ones. As less children are immunized, the more likely outbreaks will happen. Especially in a global world where people travel, flying home with unwanted guests.

Bringing back false information once it’s out the door is nigh impossible in this electronic age. Fact checkers can’t keep up. Some new research suggests a technique called “pre-bunking” by showing videos about the tactics of lies and conspiracy theories. It can help people become more skeptical, essentially “inoculating” them against disinformation.

We are going to be busy with “pre-bunking” for a while. Disinformation is here to stay so we each need to prepare for it. I’ve been fooled, and am more wary now.

Another reason I start my winter days hunkering down with some hurkle durkle.

More to come about RSV.

Stay safe, be skeptical, care for yourself.

And finally, my caveat is that this is my experience and my opinions, which are subject to change as more information is available. Thanks for reading.

Share this post if you know of others who may be interested. All links are listed at the bottom of this post. The New York Times articles have links that are gift links, allowing you to read the article for free.

A gentle reminder that I am now writing more regularly because I’ve committed to doing so by turning on Paid Subscriptions. Read about it here in this post: A Special Message. Most of my writing will remain free. Pay only if you wish to and are able to. The cost is $5/month, $50/year, $100 Founding Member, bonus is ability to post and other content. Think of it as tipping for a busker. Thanks to all who have paid already!

https://www.myndmyself.com/myndset/how-important-is-it-to-hurkle-durkle-regularly/

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/cdc-expands-warning-about-charcuterie-meat-trays-as-salmonella-cases-double/

https://dph.georgia.gov/press-releases/2024-01-18/dph-confirms-measles-case-metro-atlanta

https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/features/108310

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2024/01/13/major-measles-outbreak-erupts-in-england-as-vaccine-hesitancy-increases/

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/whooping-cough-cases-popping-up-around-tri-state-area-prompts-doctors-to-reiterate-need-for-vaccines/

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/vis/vis-statements/tdap.html

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240111-covid-19-how-does-its-symptoms-differ-from-flu

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/magazine/anti-vaccine-movement.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk0.Lp1d.eJIgp1R0aacX&smid=url-share

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/google-search-misinformation.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Pk0.8Rk8.mEg-tPexqN8a&smid=url-share