There is a mysterious ‘respiratory illness’ wending its way through Southeast Asia. No one is quite yet sure what it is, but there is speculation that this is a new, deadly strain of influenza. It’s touched Hong Kong, China’s Guangdong province, Singapore, and Hanoi — that last city is not only sensitive for me because of my heritage, but also because my girlfriend, currently backpacking through the region, just left that city less than a week ago.