Alarm Bells Should Be Rung With Caution
(p.naga prasad)
Alarm bells should be rung with caution
Thanks in no small part to the media,the only thing
spreading like wildfire right now is nt so much the
potential likelihood of an avian flu pandemic but the
totally irratinal and counterproductive panic associated
with it. Meaning,while the agents of alarm mayhave taken
totheir wings,the reality on the ground is completely
different. The first thing to remember is that everyreport
of a fresh outbreak circulating in the news refers
tonfected birds and not humans. A headline lke ?Bird Flu
Arrives in England?for example is only about one diseased
parrot in quarantine carrying the virus. Also,there isno
overwhelming evidence as yet that the H5n1 avian-influence
virus is about tomutate intot form that can directly infect
humans or make them carriers. Yes,over 60 people have died
in South East Asia but that?s only ecause millions of
poultry birds have been infected . Obviously,the more
birds that have it,the more chances an occasinalbird
handler such as a chicken farmer inhaling the infected air
around a diseased flock,will be infected. The public
should also be made to understand that there are cklear
differences between the great flu pandemic that killed some
40 million people in 1918-19 and a similar virulent
outbreak happening today. In that scenario health
conditions were far worse than they are now. For
instance,about 17 million deaths occurred in India,versus
about only half a million in the United States. In
addition,there ere no fl vaccines,no antiviraldrugs,and
containment by isolating individuals didn?t work
effectively due to poor dissemination of information. The
reach of today?s various media,on the other hand,is not
onyimmediate and pervasive but hugely accessible by
hundreds of millins of people. True,the threat of an
impending pandemic is there and it should definitely not be
taken lightly,but this is where the real role of a
responsible media comes in-to learn tostrike the right
balans between informing and inflaming.
Resumos Relacionados
- Avian Flu?are We Ready For It?
- The Great Bird Flu Hoax
- Bird Flu - What Is It?
- Bird Flu And Human Beings
- The World Should Have Know Better
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