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Public panic is immediate threat
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OTTAWA: Health officials around the world are urging the public to stay calm as scientists grapple with the possibility of a human flu pandemic. But that's easier said than done. For people tuning in and out of the news, reports that the human death toll from bird flu jumped to 62 on Tuesday is likely to cause some concern. It is harder still to ignore advice by so-called experts to take action. For example, the Hongkong government on Tuesday was scrambling to prevent panic buying of the antiviral drug |
Tamiflu after a World Health Organization official advised people in a radio interview to build up private stockpiles of the drug that could slow the spread of bird flu among humans. In an effort to deter a mad rush, the Hongkong government warned that taking Tamiflu without a prescription would "greatly increase the chance of antiviral resistance emerging from the virus". In Canada, a top health official said on Tuesday that panic buying of antiviral drugs risks creating a shortage. |
Then, there are those unappetizing and disturbing images of mass bird culls that have caused some Europeans to think twice about eating chicken much to the chagrin of poultry farmers fearing for their livelihood. The solution, said health officials, is to get as much accurate information as possible about bird flu into the public realm. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin acknowledged public fear and bad information could "too easily snowball into panic". |
"It would complicate our collective response to a pandemic immeasurably and magnify its impact," he told a gathering of more than 30 health ministers in Ottawa. He said the "best antidote" is a clear, honest and consistent assessment of risks, the ability to speak early and continuously with one voice in frank and constructive terms. "Our job is to find the balance between informing and inflaming," US Health Secretary Mike Leavitt said on Tuesday. dpa |
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