I am now 25 years old!
I have often wondered as a doctor how it is possible for so many people to be well. I have learnt about hundreds of diseases and conditions that a normal, healthy person seems impossible, yet there are many among us who are healthy and well. The great disproportion and inequality of health. The sick get sicker and the healthy healthier. Although this inequality corresponds to socioeconomic imbalances across the world, lifestyle diseases and geriatric diseases are now working overtime to redress the imbalance.
I know a lot of us are shocked at the way epidemics and pandemics of HIV, Influenza, SARS sweep across the world and have devastated millions of lives everywhere, but often we forget about other diseases and infectious agents which seem even more terrifying than all these diseases put together.

I refer to the epidemic of Marburg virus in Angola which the WHO is finding hard to contain. You obtain a glimpse at the awesome power of this virus when you read the mortality stats. Out of 224 cases reported on the 14th of April 207 died - a 92% mortality rate. WOW!! The virus was identified after an outbreak from a lab in Marburg, Germany traced back to African green monkeys from Uganda. Not much is known about the virus except that human infection is accidental. No animal reservoir of infection has been found.
It is usually transmitted from the bodily fluids of an infected patient with a high viral load by close contact. The virus strikes swiftly and fatal cases die within 7-9 days after infection.

It is diseases like this, Ebola virus, tsunamis, earthquakes that lead me to believe in the Malthusian concept of population. I believe it is nature's way of striking back and redressing the inequality we are trying to achieve towards "health". Unfortunately, all of these disasters and diseases plague those who do not live longer and in a bizarre sort of way it seems like Darwin's survival of the fittest is slowly applying to the human race.

Other news :
B'day gifts this year ( probably the most I have ever received) include :
1. Leonard Cohen - selected poems and lyrics
2. American VictoryX -DVD
3. Henry Rollin - Black Coffee Blues
4. Miniature Music box which plays Happy Birthday tune
5. Toblerone chocolate pack
6. Tintin pack of 3 comics ( still to be received)
7. ipod - to be handed over personally in May