Outbreak of a new virus B1N1

There is widespread concern among health professionals that the dreaded Influenza A(H1N1) virus has evolved into a more virulent strain which has yet to be given official name. Health experts are still arguing what to call the virus but many believe it should be identified as B1N1, the B signalling a more widespread and vicious form of the swine flu virus A(H1N1) while the absence of brackets in the name indicating a more free and easily transmittable form of the virus. The virus is not particularly deadly as it rarely causes physical pain to both carriers and those infected. Instead, it can bring tremendous psychological suffering as it can drain out sufferer’s financial resources. According to Dr John Swine, a virologist who leads a team of researchers at Imperial College London, the virus has been in existence since the first human walked the Earth. Strangely though it has only infected the male of the human species.

A study published in the journal Nature by epidemiologists at the John Hopkins Medical School concludes that the virus starts to infect men in their 20s and more prevalent among men in the developing world. Muslim men are particularly vulnerable with possibility of infection reaching up to four different strains – B1N1-1, B1N1-2, B1N1-3 and B1N1-4. It is estimated that only a small percentage of Muslim men were infected with B1N1-2, B1N1-3 and B1N1-4 although as much as 95% of them will get B1N1-1 at some point in their lifetime. Studies are still on-going to find out why men of Islamic faith have not become immune to the infection. In a recent case in the state of Selangor in Malaysia, a popular Islamic religious preacher and TV presenter who had B1N1-1 for more than a decade is reported to have managed to free himself from the virus and just last weekend confirmed widely circulated rumours that he had now contracted B1N1-2. The 40 year old ex-rock singer is said to have contracted the virus from a 30-year old female singer who’s famous with her Arabic songs. He seems to show all the symptoms of the B1N1-2 infection – unexplained burst of energy and great psychological boost in the first six months but gradually become fatigue and longing for infection with the next strain B1N1-3 after a few years. So far, he seem to be at the top of the world and visibly happy carrying the 30-year old virus B1N1-2.

Various investigations conducted in US and Europe point to the conclusion that Western men have acquired resistance to B1N1 with less than 50% of them infected by the virus and even when they do, they become free of it after one to two years of suffering various psychological stress brought by B1N1. As is normally the case for virus of this nature, experts are looking at certain groups which have shown strong resistance to the bug. The Imperial College team is still investigating why a small group of highly religious men –priests, monks and the like – have zero infection rate to the virus. It is believed that their strong religious conviction and discipline is key to understanding this strange medical phenomenon.

Authorities at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA have been struggling to get reliable data to develop a vaccine for the virus as those infected are susceptible to lying and unstable mental conditions. Men in their 50s and 60s have been known to resort to the sex-enhancing drug Viagra to boost their performance to fight the virus B1N1-1. They have been known to need more dose of Viagra once infected with more complex strains of the virus -B1N1-2, B1N1-3 and B1N1-4. Pfizer, the drug company which holds the patent to produce Viagra, has been reaping up huge profits with the spread of the highly infectious bug. When asked to comment on the sudden increase in the sale of Viagra, Pfizer spokewoman declines to comment citing possible interference with on-going lawsuit against the company.

Thoughts about Work: Freedom and Innovation

By this time next week, I will be left on my own in the office. My senior colleague who has been acting as Team Lead for the past 8 months will be moving on to a new assignment. I will be reporting to my American boss, who is based in India and he in turn reports to his boss in the Netherlands. When I joined this company two and a half years ago, I worked under a British boss. He left late last year and his post was filled by my current boss, an Indian expatriate whose 4-year assignment here in Malaysia is up and is now moving on to Europe. Such is the dynamics of working in a multinational company. If you wish, you can travel the world, go to different places for an assignment, see different cultures, meet various people and have a healthy bank account along the way too.

Before I joined this company, I worked for a GLC and a consultancy. In my previous jobs, I have always worked with a Malaysian boss. What I find interesting about working with expatriate bosses is that not only do they allow you to express your ideas, but they also expect you to challenge their ideas or decisions. During discussions, when he comes up with an idea he’d urge me to challenge him. Being Malaysian, we tend to respect and not argue too much with our boss. Bosses are expected to be right and subordinates are to take their words as gospel truth. These expatriates must have been quite surprised to find how little we Malaysians argue with our boss even when we’re encouraged to do so. In fact, having been brought up in a culture which puts so much respect to our elders and people with authority, it’s very difficult to disagree with your own boss. There is hesitation to say directly to them that they could be wrong even when it is perfectly all right to say it without fear of retribution. This is one cultural clash that I find interesting and perhaps something that we can learn from.

I remember in my previous company, when the VP spoke nobody dared to interrupt even though he’d been babbling for 3 hours non-stop. In fact nobody seemed to be able to lift their full bladder from the chair and visit the toilet in those 3 hours! And nobody touched the food or drinks before the old man did it. How can you expect the subordinates to argue with the boss when they would not even dare to touch the curry puffs which are yearning to be eaten in front of them! In contrast, in this European-based multinational, I was shocked to find that an expatriate, who was just a mere senior engineer could raise his voice and express his disagreement on the policy taken by the company’s president in a meeting seating just beside the VP. I know I sound a bit exaggerating but I just picked two extreme examples from my own work experience.

I think the freedom to express their opinion is one of the reasons why Western companies are successful in innovation. It encourages cross-fertilisation of innovative ideas and creative solutions. This is what our education system should inculcate in our young generation’s mind. We should start from the time when our children are still at pre-school. They should be encouraged to express themselves and build up confidence in presenting their ideas and arguing their case. Based on my own experience and casual observation, I find this confidence lacking in our students, employees and people in general. We are victims of our own authoritarian culture. The emphasis on respect for authority might have worked well for agrarian society in which common people relied heavily on their rich and powerful landlords to provide for basic needs. But we have gone past that stage. In today’s modern world, the success of a country depends very much on how innovative and resilient it can be in the competition for foreign investment and the best talents. Our country’s leaders always espouse “Asian Values” where respect for people with authority is held as the glue that keeps our country’s stability. Critics say that this is just an excuse for authoritarian leaders to keep their restless people under control. Perhaps there is truth in both arguments. But as far as innovation in a company is concerned, I’m of the opinion that freedom is a necessary ingredient for innovation to prosper.