Another Observation on the Potential Pandemic
February 21, 2006 by Adelle Tilton
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
John, a friend of mine who blogs at Syntagma, has made some interesting observations about the bird flu and how it is affecting people in the U.K. He calls the avian influenza, the “panic pandemic.” His posting of February 21st explores the reactions of people over a single chicken found in his neighborhood.
I think John has some very valid points. Right now, all we have is an epidemic of bird flu that unfortunately some people have caught. Less than 200 known cases, as of right now. And granted, the potential for a pandemic if the flu mutates is quite real. But the operative word there is, “if.”
Much of the reason, in my opinion, that we are dwelling on a potential pandemic is the issue of control. Or rather the lack of control people have over so many things going on in our world.
Every time we turn on the news, go on the Internet, or pick up a newspaper, we are bombarded with all the hidden health dangers our physicians may be missing in their care of us, all of the risks that exist that cause cancer and heart disease, and a zillion other health problems that most of us never gave a single thought to before the media blitz on health.
Bird flu is something we can focus on. We can’t control air pollution. We can’t control most of the second-hand smoke we may be exposed to. We can’t lose the weight we want to lose and we aren’t able to exercise as much as we know we should. So we are told, and told daily, that we are high risk for so many things, that the main thing we are at risk for is anxiety.
The Panic Pandemic. John, you did good! You helped put this situation in perspective. We may have a pandemic that we have to cope with and we may not. But worrying ourselves sick is not going to change that. If anything, it will only lower our immune systems from the stress. If we have a pandemic to cope with, we will cope at that time.
Until we do have a pandemic though, just be smart. Stay informed but don’t dwell on it. Wash your hands, avoid crowded places at the height of flu season, get your flu shots, and take care of yourself and your family. A little common sense can treat the panic pandemic very effectively!!
Technorati Tags: avian+influenza bird+flu influenza flu pandemic panic+pandemic panic fear epidemics U.K. flu+fears
Adelle, you’ve got it spot on. Panic seems to be our reaction across the board now on health matters. Soon we’ll be slaughtering billions of healthy birds to try to stop something that, if it’s going to happen, is probably unstoppable. But politicians have to be seen to be doing something, or at least spending our money with abandon. Let’s be sensible about this.
Not to mention it is hard to get a population, or “the public” to be sensible when they are so anxious about other areas that they feel powerless to control – which leads us right back to politics! It is an issue that needs to be covered but the media has to be careful on a slow news day that they don’t ratchet up the F.O.F. (freak out factor)