A giant gush of news stories greet word today that the H1N1 swine flu is, as expected, at pendemic – er, pandemic – proportions. But outlets generally are relaying yesterday’s declaration from the World Health Organization with advice that while the disease is extraordinarily widespread, its clinical punch is not notably worse than that of common, seasonal influenzas. There are exceptions (see Reuters, Wash Post stories below) that have a more anxious tone. Many outlets wrapped the declaration in with daily updates on the situation facing their local audiences.
The Financial Times‘s Frances Williams and Andrew Jack put it all in their lede, “The World Health Organization declared a global influenza pandemic yesterday, the first in more than 40 years, after weeks of delay for fear of causing unnecessary public alarm.” And they put it plainly in the fourth graf: the declaration “means the flu strain is spreading globally. It is not a measure of severity.”
Too much here to analyze with any concision. Hence a near random sampling of stories:
- Calgary Herald – Sharon Kirkey, Deborah Tetley (plus Reuters): H1N1 flu spreads in Calgary schools; pandemic declared ;
- Independent – Steve Connor: With 27,000 cases, swine flu is officially a pandemic ; with a sidebar under a hed that tries to have it both ways (as in a movie line that says don’t worry…delivered with menacing background music) : Dr. Mark Fielder: There’s no need to panic – not yet anyway. That’s just wise-guy headline writing. The brief story has no qualification to offer on whether to panic or not.
- NYTimes – Donald G. McNeil Jr., Denise Grady: To Flu Experts, ‘Pandemic’ Confirms the Obvious ;
- LA Times – Thomas H. Maugh II: Swine flu is a pandemic, WHO says / The spread of the swine flu virus — H1N1 — is the first global influenza epidemic in 41 years. But the World Health Organization says the pandemic is only ‘moderate in severity.’
- Reuters – Jonathan Lynn: WHO declares first 21st century flu pandemic ; This one runs against the norm – it has no explicit word that the flu is not all the perilous so far until the sixth graf. Then is reports it is “pretty stable” so far. This is immediately followed by speculation it could turn awful by mixing with the bird flu virus.
- AP – Marian Chang, Frank Jordans: WHO: Swine flu pandemic has begun, 1st in 41 years ; It’s unstoppable, they write, but it’s not any more lethal.
- Washington Post: David Brown: World Health Organization Calls Swine Flu Outbreak a Pandemic ; Not much reassurance here: the strain “is likely to infect as much as one-thrid of the population in the first wave and return in later waves that may be more severe..” ;
- National Post (Canada) – Jeremy Barker: What the #1%*? ‘Moderate’ Pandemic ; A smart alecky but sensible FAQ on whatever it is that this flu is.
- …could do a million of’em.
Closely Related and Pertinent News:
- Reuters – Katie Reid: Novartis hopeful of H1N1 flu vaccine by autumn ;
- AP: Novartis says produces first batch of H1N1 vaccine ; no contradiction – there’s a first batch, and then there’s enough to ship.
Grist for the Mill: WHO press release ; WHO H1N1 situation page.
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