The Dilemma of the Flu

Ireland reports its first case and the death toll in Mexico has reached 19. As American VP Joe Biden advises people to avoid air travel and the WHO debates whether or not to raise its alert level to that of a pandemic, people the world over are still unsure what to make of Swine Flu. Is it merely the latest false alarm following on the heels of the Mad Cow Disease and Bird (Avian) Flu alarms from earlier this century or are the comparisons to pandemics from the last century justified? Nobody knows, and what is more they are unclear as to what attitude they should adopt. Do they remain skeptical of the growing panic such scares typically generate, or is there a genuine cause for alarm?

Nobody really trusts the Press completely on these matters. For long reputed as gross exaggerators, nobody is about to suddenly hang on every word they say. Having cried wolf falsely several times in recent memory, their credibility on such matters is not at an enviable level. And herein lies the problem. Nobody knows as yet whether or not the threat of the flu has passed, so it's highly dangerous to disregard alerts, warnings and advice at this point in time. But because the people don't know how much things have been blown out of proportion, if at all, they don't know what the most prudent way to react is.

Governments though do not appear to be taking any chances and are doing their best at screening, quarantining and advising their citizens on travel while working frantically on a flu shot for this particular strain. They do not seem to want to be in a position where they are accused of taking this as anything but rather seriously. Erring on the side of caution is the name of the game as far as they are concerned.

For the populace though, this is a constant dilemma. They see foreigners getting quarantined in their countries. They see experts warning of a mutation of the virus and returning in a more deadly form (as has happened in Canada). They look at the deliberations of the WHO, which seems incapable of taking a definitive stance on the matter, caught as they are in a similar predicament, between being overly cautious or underestimating this virus. All this enters their deliberations along with the fact that the last time all this happened, it fizzled out in a few weeks.

Both sides could end up saying "I told you so". Everyone hopes the cynical are the ones who say it a few weeks from now, but as of now, nobody really has a clue. As travel plans are put on hold and the demand for pork plummets, as more and more countries report cases, but with apparently no fatalities, the people are as confused as ever. To worry or not to worry, this is the flu.