Author: Lindsay Palmer
We’ve all gotten those e-mails from the director of Emmons Richard Youngblood, warning us about the swine flu, telling us over and over again to sneeze into the crux of our arm and to wash our hands. After the first e-mail I received detailing the differences between the common cold and the H1N1 virus, I was genuinely interested. I care about my health, and no one likes to get sick. I read the e-mail with gratitude to Mr. Youngblood for noticing that H1N1 exists and that we have to be careful. But when the second, third and fourth e-mails arrived, I started to wonder if we weren’t all taking this “swine flu pandemic” a little too seriously.
The e-mails on campus are one thing, but the public’s response seems a little out of hand. The problem of over-exaggerating the risks of swine flu extends far beyond Occidental. All over the world, swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, is over-dramatized by the media.
Most people watch the news, or in the case of Oxy students, read their e-mails, and become hyperaware of the swine flu because it is receiving so much media coverage. Many people have built up the idea of the terrible “swine flu” in their minds to such an extent that they have forgotten about the common cold or seasonal influenza, sicknesses which cause just as much damage. At Oxy, the administration has likewise hyperbolized the issue. A recent e-mail from Emmons reported that “Residence Life is notified of each suspected flu case and will call parents of students living on campus to let them know and, if the parents live in Southern California, recommend that they bring their student home.” Such dramatic language makes the threat of H1N1 seem more serious than it actually is. In fact, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the authoritative source on all disease issues, recognizes the similarity between H1N1 and other common strains of influenza.
Every year, the CDC identifies the most common strain of influenza virus, and calls it the common, or seasonal, flu. The CDC then publicizes the threats of this strain and urges most people to get vaccines to protect themselves. The actual strain varies from year to year, even month to month, as it passes from differing species and develops immunities to antiviral vaccines and drugs. This past spring, a new strain of virus emerged, the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, and unfortunately a few people became very ill. But the important thing to note is that it was only a few people, not the whole world. It is true that the H1N1 virus has been detected on every continent and is contagious among humans, but that does not mean the world is coming to an end.
The seasonal influenza virus always hits hard, and there are always a few extreme cases. These extreme cases are over-emphasized by the media and health care providers, thus leading people to believe they need a vaccine. The media and communications industry has the ability to over-inflate a serious threat into a terrifyingly dangerous threat. Such a phenomenon is occurring with swine flu, but on a seemingly larger scale. In a September article in the LA Times, it was advised that, “Because the novel strain of H1N1 influenza has led to a pandemic, people who are ill with the virus should consider wearing a mask around other people, if tolerable.” While the media generally warns the public about the seasonal flu, it has been constantly reporting on every nuance of H1N1, instilling a sense of urgent fear in many people. But what makes this “swine flu” so special?
Nothing. On their Web site, the CDC states that the H1N1 virus has similar symptoms, similar contagiousness and similar effects as the seasonal flu. There seems to be no real difference between the two strains. This begs the question: If these viruses are almost the same thing, why is the H1N1 virus receiving so much attention? Why is it causing so much paranoia?
There does not seem to be a rational explanation as to why people are getting so worked up about the swine flu. The communications industry has taken a small medical threat and blown it up into a world-threatening fiasco. The more people obsess about swine flu, the more ridiculous this fiasco becomes. In reality, we can’t all be bubble boys and girls. We have to interact in the world, and will inevitably be exposed to germs. I am thankful to those at Emmons and in the world beyond for their concern, but I am going to take the advice with a grain of salt and keep living my life.
Lindsay Palmer is an undelcared first-year. She can be reached at palmer@oxy.edu.
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