So I was reading the news today and was thinking "Hmm... where have I heard this before..." when I realized, oh yeah, just a few years ago we were all freaking out about bird flu. First birds, now pigs. What's next?
So anyway, the United States government declared a public health emergency over the currently spreading swine flu. So far, 20 cases have been confirmed in the US, and scientists are expecting more. Declaring a public health emergency doesn't necessarily mean that there is one, though, just that we should prepare for it. Basically, it allows greater government response, freeing resources for diagnosis, prevention, and antiviral drugs. Basically, there's no need to panic, people... yet.
However, other countries are taking a more serious view, taking big steps such as quarantining sick travelers, screening all air travelers, and banning pork imports from Mexico, where the disease originated (even though there's no connection between the food and the disease).
I don't know how serious this disease is going to get, but maybe the US government should be even a little more concerned. After all, President Obama's health secretary and nomination for the FDA have not even been approved by the Senate yet. And even though only 8 people had confirmed cases of the swine flu in Queens, 100 kids got sick at St. Francis Preparatory School there. And scientists don't really know if our current antiviral medications - Tamiflu and Relenza are actually effective. Who knows, maybe we should be screening all travelers from Mexico, instead of just taking interest in those that appear sick.
As an article, I was sort of satisfied with the story. It did present a lot of important information, but it wasn't necessarily concise. A lot of the quotes that were used were unnecessary, and the reporter used phrases like "global pandemic" - which, if you know what pandemic means, is completely redundant. I would have found it interesting if the reporter talked about the comparison between the swine flu and the bird flu, or talked about how people become infected with the swine flu. I understand that wasn't the angle that she was taking, but had she been more concise with the information she did present, there would've been ample room to insert a little blurb about the other aspects of the story.
U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency Over Swine Flu
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/world/27flu.html?_r=1&hp
1 comment:
I'm not quite sure what to think of the swine flu outbreak either. I hope it's no reason to panic but I do agree that the U.S.Government could do more. For example, I think they really should be more cautious about incoming travelers from Mexico. Even if people don't appear sick, the virus can hibernate for about seven days I heard and isn't it better to be safe than sorry? The inconveniance caused by the screening of all visiters would be nothing compared to the horror and disaster of the flu spreading more widely.
Basically, I don't think it's something we should become lax about, and it certainly isn't worth taking chances.
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