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keywestlou · 5 years

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EPIDEMICS NOT FOREIGN TO KEY WEST

Key West may be small. Key West may sit out in the Atlantic as the southernmost point in the United States. Until it became a tourist mecca, few visited Key West.

Key West has had is share of epidemics. Some pretty bad. Others, a mere touch.

Yellow fever the big winner. The most epidemics over the years. Infected many, killed many.

Other epidemics included smallpox, cholera, chagres fever, dengue fever, leprosy, and influenza.

And now coronavirus. Though no reported cases yet, it has to be here. A tourist community, cruise ships, airlines, and spring breakers. Inevitable!

There has only been one reported case in the Keys. The upper Keys. A man who brought it with him from the U.K.

No other “reported cases” for a very simple reason. No test kits. No way to legitimately identify and verify.

Yellow fever was the most flagrant in the late 1800’s.

Quarantines were common. In homes and on ships.

The 1899 epidemic the worst. One thousand three hundred twenty infected, 68 died.

The nuns at what was then known as the Convent of Mary Immaculate all became infected. None died.

At some point, there was a vaccine. The population during one of the bigger epidemics was 16,500. Thirteen thousand were vaccinated via a door to door program.

It is interesting that many ways of dealing with yellow fever are similar to what is being done today with coronavirus. Basic medicine is basic medicine yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow.

Cholera was limited. A ship came in with some persons affected. The ship was immediately forced away from the island. No one in Key West was affected.

Leprosy had its day in Key West. Still does, though on a minimal basis.

The disease was in and out of Key West over a period of many years. One year, 96 cases were diagnosed. Seventy eight of them contracted leprosy while living in Old Town.

Leprosy was dealt with in days gone by as were diseases mentioned in the Bible. In 1909, a man died of leprosy in a house on Virginia Street. The house and all its contents were destroyed by fire at the direction of the Fire Chief.

In the Keys overall, there were 9 cases in 2015. Amazing. So recent. Records indicate 2-12 cases a year.

The “today” cause are armadillos. They are carriers, though the disease does not affect them.

It is difficult to understand Trump’s thinking. We are in “dire” need of test kits, N95 face masks, rubber gloves, medical attire, inhalators, etc. What does Donald do? He offers help to Iran and North Korea.

He takes from us to give to them.

Wrong! They are our sworn enemies. God is not going to love us for helping them. They will smile and laugh with glee: Look what dumb Trump is doing now!

You take care of your own first!

Trump gives us a daily update on the fight against the virus. Generally does more harm than good as regards his image. He promises, says next week, things being delivered…..And nothing of any significance happens next week or the week after or the week after.

The man is inept. He lacks the mental sufficiency to be President.

Yesterday, he spoke more of the billions it was costing him to be President than the reality of satisfying his people’s needs. Like he is doing us a favor!

He further failed to spend much time on the Senate vote. The one that failed to pass the $1.8 trillion stimulus. The vote along party lines. 47-47. Sixty votes required.

The problem has to do with what the bill favors, who it helps, etc. The big corporations. Working Americans though not ignored, not taken care of.

Trump does not know what he is doing. I wonder if the Senate does. Perhaps they are greasing their own pockets.

Bailing out the airlines an example.

The airlines say they need $50 billion. They need nothing! I wrote last week and spoke to the issue on my podcast and blog talk radio shows as well why the airlines for example do not require money. Money that should go directly to help working Americans.

The airlines want loans, guarantees, and outright cash grants.

Trump favors giving the airlines the money. Says he does not want them to go out of business. Such shows how little he knows about the issue. Or, perhaps he knows but is playing dumb.

Recall Trump’s Atlantic City debacle with the casinos. He has to understand.

There are 2 ways the airlines can save their asses. The first is to negotiate terms of credit with lenders outside of court. The other, and the one frequently used, is to seek Chapter XI Bankruptcy protection.

Either the way the planes keep flying.

Chapter XI does not contemplate “death.” Business goes on. Not all employees are fired. Assets are not sold off for scrap.

Between 2002 and 2011, Chapter XI was frequently used by airlines: American, Delta, Frontier, United, and US Airways.

A Chapter XI gives an airline breathing space. Old bills do not have to be paid while in the XI. Sometimes 2-3 years. They are renegotiated and generally paid off at a lesser amount.

Banks love to loan to Chapter XI companies. The loans receive “high priority” for repayment.

Food does not seem to be a major issue. Yet! True, people are hoarding. That will stop as soon as their is no more room in their freezers and cupboards.

Store shelves are emptying rapidly. Might even be described as empty.

I am into my 12th day of self quarantine. My food is delivered. Primarily Publix and Walmart.

Great, if they have food.

Publix is running out. Those who call or otherwise communicate with me tell me so.

I am experiencing it with Publix deliveries. They have fewer and fewer items I want. Down to about 50 percent. I am required to cancel that portion of the order or take something else in its place. The something else is not what I want or generally eat.

Walmart has been terrific till this past week. I sat down ordered $200 plus of food yesterday. I’m hoarding! Most of the items I wanted were not in stock.

Fewer people are working. Families are without sufficient dollars. Who is manufacturing the food products? Will they be in good supply again and soon?

I question it.

When people are without monies to purchase food or food is in insufficient supply, things happen. Bad things.

I recall one of my Greece trips several years ago. During the time Greece was in deep shit financially. No work. Government assistance insufficient. Food stores closed because no food to put on shelves. Farmers stopped farming because they could not get paid what it cost them to grow their product.

I have written this story in the past. Families ate every other day. Including babies. Milk ran out. They ate their pets first. Then they raided the zoos, killed the animals and ran home with pieces of meat.

Cooked and ate anything that grew. Even grass. Then roots.

The Greeks expressed their unhappiness. They were downright pissed off!

I was in Athens. Athens has a famous top of the shelf street. Something like New York’s 5th Avenue. Ermous Street. Expensive goods for sale. Top of the line designer stores.

The people rioted. Destroyed the stores along the street. Some to get rid of their pain. Others to steal and sell in hope of finding something that was for sale at an exorbitant price.

Ermous looked like it had been bombed. Beggars overtook the street. Walking and sitting. Seeking money.

These were for real “beggars.” Not the homeless we see in the U.S. Painful to see. Mothers holding their babies out with one hand and the other out opened asking for money. Cripples sitting or lying on the street seeking money.

The worst was a man without arms or legs. His face badly scarred. His hair crazy. The only way I can describe it.

A bucket sitting in front of him. His friends had set him up somehow so he would not fall.

All this because people were not working, there was no money, there was no food.

It could happen here. We live in strange times. Things are moving fast.

I worry.

Enjoy your day!

EPIDEMICS NOT FOREIGN TO KEY WEST was originally published on Key West Lou

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