Swine Flu - Don't Panic

Following my posting regarding the H1N1 flu virus, it is now being reported that vets from the UK are joining vets in Mexico from the United Nations (UN) to see if this new virus has actually emerged from pigs. As simply this is not yet known. Thus far it has been assumed that it emerged from pigs rather than establishing this as a fact before reporting this.

Equally in Mexico more stringent tests have now been made reducing the number of deaths attributable to the N1H1 flu from one hundred and sixty (160) to seven (7). That is still serious, but as we just don't know how many of the population in Mexico had the flu and got over it, the number of deaths is statistically meaningless. That is not to say that each individual death is not a tragedy for the kith and kin of the victims. However, the numbers of deaths appear to be no more and are actually lower than happens from a seasonal outbreak.

This new virus seems to be very easily spread and obviously that is a worry, but thus far the illness it generates has only been mild in all the cases outside of Mexico.

A few years ago the World Health Organisation (WHO) created near panic about bird flu, then when they got the extra funding they were after, they stopped issuing the dire warnings. The WHO were the people who issued the warning of a pandemic. Now I don't want to play down the threat of this H1N1 flu, but have the WHO caused a panic without reason? Aided by the media who are always on the look out for the next “We are all going to Die” story.

I do think that we need to guard against infection and there needs to be a scientific effort to develop a vaccine, but it already appears that the seasonal flu vaccine already is offering some degree of protection already.

The way that the media has been reporting this you would be left thinking that catching this H1N1 flu is a death sentence and that millions are infected already. There are still major gaps in our knowledge regarding the H1N1 flu virus and the media are just speculating making it sound as though we are all going to die. The sensationalist and alarmist way that much of the media has been reporting this story could cause governments and health authorities to do the wrong things simply because it looks good and pleases the media.

In the past the media have played down the real threats. There were real sign posts that showed that the economy was heading for trouble, yet the media ignored them. The same applies to climate change, or anything that effects the multi millionaire owners of these papers/television stations (delete as appropriate). The point is by being sensationalist the media distorts the facts to suite their agenda. With any science story such as this H1N1 flu, bad reporting and downright lies can be told by the media purely to sell papers. All with little regard for the effects it has on peoples lives.

The media have caused real panic and in three or four weeks time we will all be wondering what the fuss was about. This further has the effect of people not taking seriously warnings or advice when people need to take heed of it.

As science is poorly understood by many journalists, the public are not well served by much of the media. It may be easier (and cheaper) to report celebrity gossip than have journalists investigating real stories like the fact that a chunk of Antarctic ice the size of New York has broken away, or why the security services were unable to see the July seventh terrorists attacks coming, but these are the stories that genuinely will effect our lives. Anyone with a basic understanding of science could see that the “Flu Panic” was not scientificly sound. The media does its self a disservice when it so seriously gets the facts wrong.