In Defense of the Germ

Yes, it's that time of year, it’s cold outside in most of the country, everyone is cooped up inside, and if you sneeze there's a good chance someone will point their finger at you and scream "UNCLEAN!!!" Of course, I’m talking about cold and flu season. During this season, people flock to the counters for the latest herbal remedy to a cold, whoever invented Hand Sanitizer gets enough money to feed Borneo, and people would sooner kill you and burn your carcass than come within twelve feet of you when you utter the words "I have a cold." Of course, this year’s season has caused people to become increasingly vigilant given the scare over H1N1, the other day my coworker asked if he should bring in a gallon jug of hand sanitizer for our office.
According to an article in US Pharmacist, people get between 3-5 colds per year, colds are responsible for 2.2 billion in sales of over the counter medicines, and another 7.7 billion in doctor visits. While I do not mean to downplay what those who suffer from chronic and severe illnesses like Cancer, Lupus, and AIDS go through, I still find our preoccupation with illness and avoiding catching diseases like the common cold and flu a definite quirk worth writing about.
First, a little background info: the common cold, or acute viral nasopharyngitis, is an upper respiratory infection, usually caused by either the picornavirus or coronavirus. Viruses are, themselves, quirky things since there is some debate over whether they are living things or not. True, they are composed of proteins and other chemicals that are common in living things but are unable to reproduce on their own, thereby requiring the need for a host (i.e. us).
Although no cure exists for the common cold and no anti-viral medications have been approved for treatment, it remains a relatively benign pathogen. After all, smallpox is caused by another species of viruses (Variola) and it caused an estimated 60 million deaths in Europe in the 18th century and one third of the survivors became blind. Another example is the Bubonic plague, a disease caused by the bacteria Y. pestis, whose effects are well known in Europe as "the Black Death." It is estimated that 4.2 million people lost their lives to it in Europe during this time and, globally, is estimated to have reduced the world's population by about 75 million. It was rumored Queen Elizabeth the first would hold up in Windsor castle when the plague spread in London and anyone even coming from the direction of London was intercepted and executed on the spot. Given this background information, I think we can all agree that 7-10 days of stuffy noses and scratchy throats is getting off light.
Even though it is unlikely the common cold will decimate the Human Race anytime soon, I think we can also all agree getting sick is no fun. Furthermore, being someone who has reaped the benefits of embracing some aspects of healthy living, I think being healthy is preferable to be ill, as would anyone else. My mom, when referring to a former classmate of mine who has endured a series of orthopedic problems, reminded me that health is a gift. Isn't health, like any other good feeling, is something we want to maintain and keep indefinitely? We constantly fight against becoming ill, but it is the feeling of being sick that allows us to better appreciate the feeling of being healthy.
As a nation, we are living longer and gone are the days when whole blocks of cities would be isolated off because of diseases like Cholera, TB, and Smallpox. However, we are also becoming more obese, more sedentary, and allowing ourselves to create a society that stresses our body to the limit. Are we taking our health for granted? Is our lack of appreciation for health desensitizing us to people for whom threats of disease remain very real? After all, although AIDS exists in the United States in both urban and rural areas, can we really appreciate the plight of someone in Africa who has lost the whole of their family to the pandemic that plagues the continent? Overall, it is my hope that you will not agonize too much over the feeling of malaise that comes upon you when you catch a cold (mind you, I said "when" and not "if") but take care of yourself and realize that you will, again, be healthy.