Update

Note: This is the concluding entry in a series of posts related to my experiences in quarantine. Remember the mumps outbreak? King County Public Health was concerned that I was a vector, but...

The PCR was negative,
So I am back at the lab.
Instructed to keep a distance,
And avoid crowded spaces.

They drew some more blood yesterday.
Called "convalescent serum."
What? Convalescent? I feel fine!
Parotid stone passed Monday.

So much for mumps quarantine poems.

Check out MJ's comment on "the role of quarantine." It makes good points about the differences between H5N1 and SARS in terms of incubation time and the usefulness of quarantine. With mumps' 12-25 day period, I suppose it is more like SARS than bird flu!

It looks like public health is overcoming the mumps outbreak in Iowa:
Check this Chicago Tribune article.