Swine Flu Hysteria--Stage Two

Swine Flu Hysteria--Stage Two

Last Friday night, the story broke swiftly.
By Saturday, normally the slowest day of the news week, it developed into a league of its own.
We're talking about the phenomenon known as Swine Flu. It's being discussed everywhere. In cafes, on the net, at the water cooler in offices--hell, it's become such a medical fuss/paranoia Joe Biden told his family to stay off the subway and airplanes. Biden backed down, (haven't we heard this before?, but that's another story) in any event what we have here, as someone once said, "is a failure to communicate".
All I know is this: I don't know. I'm listening to CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, live from Mexico City telling me that as long as I wash my hands and practice proper hygene, my Swine Flu paranoia is just that, and worrying about this virus is nonsense. Fine, sounds good to me.
Ditto KGO's Dr. Dean Edell, who is the most candid, reliable, source on this subject who essentially said the same thing, and pointed out, rather rationally, that over 37,000 people, countrywide, die every year due to complications of influenza, yet that doesn't make it to the CNN Situation Room, nor is it at the top of the factor with Bill O'Reilly.
Which brings me to my main point here: our media outlets suck big time when it comes to stories like this Swine Flu deal. As I pointed out last week, they all need to take a very deep breath and sit down and quit playing with our collective mindset.
We're hearing conflicting statements from the WHO. Is it serious? What about the numbers? Is it in mutation form? What about a vaccine? Is it all really a 'Mexico City issue?These are all legitimate questions and I do believe a majority of the citizens, even those rational ones who've turned off the radio station because they're sick and tired of hearing such rubbush that they don't really care any more, one way or another. And that's the scariest thing. All of us could use some basic, reliable information.
I recall a few years back, ABC had one of those town hall meetings on 'Nightline and had a few, so-called experts discussing the Middle East.
Hey networks, cablets, I have a great idea for you guys and I gurantee you a ratings winner: why not do for the Swine Flu subject what ABC did with the Middle East conundrum?
Block out ninety minutes of time and have a live forum with various doctors, WHO officials and take questions from a few folks in the audience. It's fairly simple.
What we crave here is INFORMATION and FACTS. We don't need, nor care about the "16th confirmed case in Mexico City" or the first confirmed case in the Bay Area. That doesn't really give us anything specific; we know there's something out there, be it something faily benign, something in the middle, or god forbid, another Spanish Flu or Hong Kong Flu--see, we don't know and for once we'd all like to get some decent info on this matter--that's not too much to ask for, is it?
Posted By: Rich "Big Vinny" Lieberman (Email) Apr 30 at 12:57 PM