Flip through the pages of the Star Newspaper and you will probably see articles about the bird flu case in Sungai Buloh. It has caused a stirring among the people, for as most of us know, bird flu is a highly dangerous and contagious disease that has already taken lives of people around the world. As a result, the authorities are taking extensive measures to ensure the disease is contained and hopefully, the case will stay an isolated one.

All the hoo-hah has led me to wonder: is prevention really better than cure?

The logic behind this tried-and-tested proverb, which is generations old, I should say, is that if one had prevented something, it would never have happened at all. Thus, there would be no need for a cure. Admittedly we have to acknowledge there is sound, solid truth in that.

I used to believe that the proverb was just mumbo-jumbo my parents said in a sage manner whenever I was ill; but now (after years of colds and coughs that inflict me sporadically) I give in. It is true. When I was young I would not bother about the fact that switching on the air-conditioning when I was wet might make me catch a chill. If I sneezed repeatedly, a suspicious sign that a nasty cold was coming, my parents would remind me to take medicine, “just in case.” Did I? No. Of course, I suffered the consequences.

Sickness aside, what about circumstances that are beyond our control? To give it an environmental spin, let us remember An Inconvenient Truth. Global warming could have been warded off better years ago when science warned us of its effects. Sadly it seems we humans decided not to stand in the way of development and instead sat pretty. An Inconvenient Truth exposed the brutal side of things, things we were frightened and worried by. The result: more and more people are taking action about it, whether it is people or countries. The snag is the cure. It needs quite a sum of money and the joint effort of all. If that does not work, what will then? Ah, yes – prevention would have been better than getting a cure.

Anything that ends up disastrously-and you know that there is a big possibility of that happening – is best prevented. A cure might takes years, it could cost millions, it consumes energy…the list goes on. One simple action to prevent it from happening might seem a lot at that time, but you know what they say: it is in the long-run that matters. In the long-run, the effects of that circumstance or problem you did not bother to hinder or counteract against might just come back to haunt you. It probably won’t be very good, either.

To finish off, I would like to add tips for prevention against bird flu, as this threat still hangs over all of us at the moment.

1. Always wash your hands with antibacterial soap before touching any part of the body, particularly the mouth.
   
2. If you are eating any poultry, make sure it is well-done.
   
3. Be careful to avoid areas that you know have poultry.
   
4. If you have bird flu symptoms, check with the doctor immediately.
   
5. Do not touch any poultry (like chickens that run around the house, etc).
   

Remember, everyone. Prevention is better than cure.