Sunday, November 06, 2005

Cheap Substitutes

In the course of cleaning this afternoon, it crossed my mind that there are many substitutes for flu vaccines -- substitutes that cost less than the billions of dollars that the government wants to pay for subsidizing the development of a vaccine (which may or may not yield any results). These substitutes you probably already own or can access easily.

As I glanced at my can of Lysol, I noticed that not only does it kill mold and mildew, but it also kills the influenza virus. Perhaps if there was an outbreak of avian flu, I might just use Lysol more often.

This, of course, is only one substitute. Staying home, washing your hands, even wearing surgical masks are all ways to prevent infection. But I suppose these methods aren't quite as trendy as vaccines and spending tax dollars. After all, the government has to look like it's "doing something."

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