By Larry Anderson of Anderson Family Medicine

I love you so I won’t kiss you. No, this is not the beginning of a chapter in a romance novel.  This is the sad way that things have changed in the south and I am sure of other areas in our country. We truly like to greet our close friends and relatives with a hug and kiss on the check. Now that has taken a back seat due to the COVID-19 virus. 

Will it come back? Not the virus, but the hug and kiss. Yes, I am sure it will. Touch is such an affirming and nurturing action and such a part of our upbringing that it will not be gone with the wind (not a reference to the novel). We need to stay in touch with each other in different ways now. More telephone calls, more face time, more Zoom, etc., more anything gives us closeness with others. Most of us have a small feeling of sadness because of staying at home, not having contact with others, not easily recognizing friends and neighbors with a mask on.  Even Walt Disney might have said that 6 out of 7 dwarfs are not happy. 

We have 3 plagues to deal with now. Plague number 1: COVID-19 may be starting to show a decline. Not a cause to celebrate yet, because we are still seeing many new cases each week.  You can follow the trend in the county by going to the internet site for the health department and to the Dawson County School web site. Remember your homework assignment.

Plague number 2: Influenza virus. We are still seeing scattered cases of influenza and flu season may soon begin again. Some of the local pharmacies have the flu vaccine in stock. Go get your flu shot. Then call your primary care Doctor and let them know the date you got the vaccine and whether it was the senior dosage or the other one. Be sure to ask the pharmacist.  Plague number 3: West Nile virus. One person in DeKalb County has been diagnosed with West Nile. If you have mosquitoes at home it is because you are probably raising them. Walk around your yard and house and tip any standing water, such as buckets, flowerpot saucers. Check the birdbath. 

Thanks for reading.