In case you missed it, in the first week of June, the pigs in Mbarara, western Uganda, were subjected to mandatory quarantine! Except this had nothing to do with corona. Please don’t twist this: by pigs, I mean the actual animals!
The pigs got isolated and, just like humans, were barred from leaving the district. No inter-district travel for the beloved animals as well. Not even to the grill! I absolutely agree with you, the authorities definitely crossed the line here. There’s an explanation, though.
The reason for banning the pigs was that there had emerged an outbreak of swine flu, or something like that. So, as a pig from Mbarara that has a running nose, sore throat and a temperature, there’s no way they’re letting you put your mates in neighboring Bushenyi at risk.
Therefore, 2-weeks’ mandatory quarantine under close supervision. Well, i’m not sure how long the ban will last. But since we, humans and animals alike, seem to be under the same regiment, I suppose it might be in the region of 42-days for the pigs as well. Who knows!
That said, aren’t we all just too exhausted from the over-the-top sensationalization of this other flu that the humans are battling? Yesterday, The Guardian newspaper in the UK ran a headline that said Uganda had been hit by a third wave! Ironically, we, over here, think we’re still surfing the second wave!
It’s starting to feel like a monthly magazine issue—”Look out for a fresh and exciting wave coming to you in four weeks! See press and posters for details!”. And don’t get me started on the variants!
For all we know, there might be more variants in the world than number of Ugandan MPs. It’s now almost like a variants race [see ‘arms race’]; and you get the sense that every country is as though striving to be perceived as the one with the most powerful mutation of the virus. “Hey! Our variant is deadlier. And copyrighted! Get your own!” India yells at America.
True, people are perishing. However, there’s too many stories all over the place of deaths from the flu and they’re blanketing even the great testimonies of people that have healed. The irony here is that the mortality rate of the disease is extremely low. Clearly, we humans have a higher propensity for broadcasting bad news than good. That can change though.
I once caught the flu and got well. Must’ve been early this year and I probably contracted it from my sister who also eventually recovered. Aside from losing my sense of taste for a couple of days—which’s the most unbearable inconvenience I suffered—there wasn’t much else. I didn’t medicate. Self or otherwise. I just played my guitar.
Recently, a friend of mine caught it too. She’s recuperating, just like many others that got ill and became fine after. The problem is, nobody’s sharing these stories.
The media is always happy to consistently bombard us with adversity, as if conditioning you to get to the point of desperation for the vaccine shot! By the way, you could take the shot if you want to. Personally, I’d rather not.
Dynamo, a world-famous magician, once said that the most powerful force known to man is fear! But we all know that fear isn’t our currency. And much stronger is love. Faith, hope and love!
Make it a point to counter the prevailing narrative by sharing stories of hope. While at it, should the pork prices shoot up, blame it on the situation in Mbarara!
