Dr Klotman’s Week 166 YouTube video touches on a few important COVID issues. He also addresses other public health concerns including H1N5 Influenza (bird flu) and Mpox.
Are you at risk for bird flu? Yes, but no more so than most of us who do not keep fowl. If you live in close contact with live poultry, you have some risk if your birds get sick. Otherwise, it is hardly a concern until some strain of H1N5 Influenza that spreads easily among humans arises. Should that happen, it will be a pandemic clusterfuck once again. 🙁
Are you at risk for Mpox (formerly Monkey Pox)? Yes, but that risk is very small unless:
- There is a large outbreak in your area
- You and your SO are not in a monogamous relationship
- You are an MSM and have not been vaccinated against Mpox
If you have any of these risk factors, talk with your PCP about vaccination with Jynneos.
This week, Dr Klotman celebrated the graduates in BCM’s Medicine, Biomedical Sciences and Genetic Counseling programs. I saw the young people in their black and green gowns taking the Hippocratic Oath, and my memory flashed back to that day in 1979 when I was among them, and then to a similar ceremony year later in which Nicolás graduated from BCM.
So much time has passed; so much has happened. I feel lucky to have lived long enough to experience it all.