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Seeking Immunity: Salil Chatterji, 24, financial consultant

I had 24 hours to RSVP. Normally, that would be more than enough time to make up my mind if I wanted to attend the party in question. This decision is usually influenced by the grade of the whisky and guests. But this invite would require a lot more thought. Once I got over the absurdity of it, that is.

H1N1 Hoedown

The invitation drudged its way into my inbox on a dreary Monday morning, when the Mumbai rain was pouring down, and the Internet was super slow. It was from John Howard, a crazy guy I'd met during my post-grad university scouting trip to London last month; he was a friend's roommate. The subject read 'Swine flu party: By invitation only'. Knowing Howie and his twisted sense of humour, I expected it to be a forward. But when I opened the mail, it was uncharacteristically somber, and went something like this:

What: Swine Flu Soiree, my house, Gloucester Road, London.
When: Saturday, July 18, 8 pm.
Why: The H1N1 strain of the swine flu virus is expected to get more virulent next fall. While it is still in a fairly mild form, you can attempt to immunise yourself by getting exposed to people who have been infected by the virus. That way, your body will be better equipped to deal with its more powerful cousin expected to emerge after winter. So let's party with flu-infected patients!

PS: Everything else about the party stays the same - hot chicks, booze and hook ups. Wooo hooo!

Sick!

That last line of the email, which finally revealed a hint of Crazy Howie, seemed a little too casual in contrast to its foreword. Sharing single malts and hooking up with flu infected patients?! It was sick! But most of all, the irony was appetising. The scare of getting swine flu was driving people to go out and get swine flu! But apparently, everyone's doing it. From New York to London, people are throwing swine flu parties with the hope of gaining immunity. One NYU student even posted a Facebook event for an invite-only, make-out party. Needless to say it invoked the ire of many - health professionals, fellow students and the media.

Considering Mumbai was miles away, I shouldn't have cared. But given that I was going to be back in London that weekend of the party, I was intrigued to know more.

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Story continued

Debating Swine Flu Soirees

I decided to research 'swine flu' parties on the Internet. The news inched in, given the excruciatingly slow internet speed that I mentioned before. A certain public health expert Dr Richard Jarvis told the BBC that such parties could undermine the fight against swine flu, and even though it was a mild virus, there was still the risk of mortality. However, Michael Olesen, chief of infection control at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis told the New York Times that he was planning to take a "passive approach to getting infected" by forgoing a mask on an international flight. But I'd rather go with what Dr. Anne Moscona, a flu specialist at Weill Medical College of Cornell University told the same publication -"It's totally nuts". Overall, medical experts are saying that swine flu parties are a bad idea.

Pot Luck

So there it was. I wasn't going. But let's say I was. What does one take to a Swine Flu party? Bacon?