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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Pandemic vs. Panic
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and World Heath Organization officials have been working to inform citizens about the status of the H1N1 virus. Napolitano briefed members of the media on Monday in Washington, DC.
At this point, it's pretty hard not to hear something about the notorious swine flu virus. As of Sunday, the Associated Press confirmed swine flu cases had risen to 226 in the U.S. Since that announcement, people have taken a proactive role to ensure their communities are safe from the H1N1 or swine flu virus.
Precautions in these times are necessary; there's no doubt about it. However, I think some may go overboard in their level of safety measures. For example, there have been cases in Texas where school districts were completely shut down to potentially stop the spread of new cases.
Closing the school where the initial outbreak occurred may have been appropriate, but shutting the entire district down leaves me more concerned about how authorities might react to similar situations should a health alert occur in their town. For that reason, I hope there's a better balance between how people take precaution and react with respect to this virus.
We've seen in times past how panic and anxiety in times of uncertainty can unnecessarily fuel a situation of fear to hysteria. We don't need that type of energy again. Why, you ask? CNN reported on massive overcrowdings across the nation's emergency rooms over the past weekend. What's the reason for this? Was there an influx of medical emergencies all of a sudden? No; it's just anxiety and fear driving thousands of individuals to presume the worst.
In an attempt to calm fears and keep the public informed, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been working diligently to communicate the necessary precautions people can take to stay healthy during this time of concern.
While there have been a lot of mixed signals over the virus, there is good news. Health reports have indicated that the viral strains that were seen in years past don't appear to be in this strain of outbreak. That's definitely news that can help to calm fears.
If all goes well, this apparent epidemic will come to a close soon. In the meantime, my hope for everyone is that we all keep a level head and work together to keep things under control.
How are cities taking health precautions in your area?