Who is that lady? Coyoacan, Mexico City

Posted by Luis A. De Jesus R. (Mexico City, Mexico) on 14 May 2009 in Art & Design and Portfolio.

Street art from a wall on a home in Coyoacán, Mexico City.

I have not ventured out much since the scare we were put through here in Mexico City with the misnamed "swine" flu. We now know enough to understand it is NOT the "Black Death" and, according to the WHO, can even go away without antiviral drugs. Sadly, the flu exposed the extreme xenophobia and racism still prevalent in the world today. Mexicans here were very hurt and insulted by the treatment received abroad even though the illness had also spread extensively to the United States and Canada.

Deaths in Mexico were due mainly to other issues endemic to Mexico. For example, many people who died went to the hospital late --about seven to eight days with full-blown respiratory problems. Some of these didn't get to a doctor on time because they didn't want to lose work days, didn't have medical insurance, or self-medicated --which is very common in Mexico. Along this vein, you can't attack a virus with anti-bacterial medication, you need ANTI-VIRAL medication.

The Mexican authorities are also culprits: samples were not sent to the CDC or the WHO for analysis until around the 22nd of April. Many people had fallen ill to this new pathogen as early as February! The WHO has been asking the Mexican authorities to acquire the equipment to figure stuff like this out since 1999, and the Mexican authorities did jack "#$%! But there is money for helicopters, guns, and vehicles for crowd control. Don't forget the parades where they flaunt it all in the name of patriotism.

Lastly, poor medical practices that lead to just as poor diagnosis and treatment: doctors here usually do not take cultures to determine what kind of a bug you might be infected with. A good way to determine --not only if you have something novel-- whether or not you deserve a healthy dose of penicillin to fight tuberculosis --just being extreme here-- or Tamiflu to beat the "swine" flu into retreat.

Many people here in Mexico --and even the press abroad-- praise Mexican President Calderon for his anti-drug efforts. I say it's easier to go pick a fight with someone you feel you "can" than with someone you can't or simply won't: like poverty. If there is something this recent debacle has shown is how bad the government has done in providing its people with an effective and efficient health care system that attends the needs of all, especially the poorest. Some hospitals in Mexico refused patients who were not insured by the government --in the middle of the flu crisis! Even ambulence crew or paramedics refused to take people to hospital because they did not want to get the flu! Imagine if this had been the real deal, people, we would all be dead by now! The government even said it had a million doses, but failed to get to hospitals in a timely manner. All this a big reason why I hope that the next truly deadly pandemic breaks out --I hope it never does-- where the state has the resources, means, and determination to get to the ill quickly as well as some measure of true social responsibility.

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