Is the world in a blind panic about swine flu?
Has the world gone overboard with panic and alarm about swine flu? No-one's died outside of Mexico, and yet a media and governmental juggernaut has sprung to action:
- about the swine flu outbreak and how to prevent its spread are to be delivered to every UK household.
- The Department of Health is "urgently looking" at increasing stockpiles of facemasks.
- California has declared a state of emergency, yet a statement from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's office said that there was "no need for alarm".
Of course, no-one knows to what extent this outbreak will spread and how many lives are threatened. But what we do know is that there have, as yet, been no deaths from the virus outside of Mexico and that cases in Britain have been very mild and most certainly treatable. So does it help to see the papers plastered with pictures of people in facemasks and warnings that 4 in 10 of us could be hit by the virus?
Are you worried about the threat of the disease? Are you willing to avoid travel or make lifestyle changes to prevent further spread of the virus? Or do you think the authorities and the media are spreading unnecessary alarm?
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