Flu hysteria in Poland
As you know I don’t like media, be it newspapers, television or any other medium which existence relies on attracting masses with catchy slogans, or dumb programs just to make even-more-money.
According to Polish media a couple of days ago there was a large outbreak of so-called swine flu epidemic on Ukraine. The reports from there were hysteric: showing the flu great progress, one service reporting higher death toll than another, showing people queueing to pharmacists seeking flu vaccine, anti-flu drugs, garlic, lemons, honey, and God-only-knows-what-else.
As we share border with Ukraine government instructed our border service to take a closer look at who enters the country and started considering giving a flu vaccine to all health/public service workers. Some of the opposition politicians started arguing that we need to act quickly to stop the pandemic, Polish media suggested some countries already vaccinated 40%, 60% or even all country population. Panic is emerging thanks to people’s foolishness and to mass media.
The thing I want to point out is how much place are reserved for this hypothetical flu outbreak in Ukraine in western mass media. There is literally none. I checked BBC, CNN, and Reuters and the first two doesn’t even mention this fact on their health pages, Reuters being the only one referring to this outbreak in an article on flu season in northern hemisphere.
I can think of a few possible explanations of this fact but you are creative people and can figure it out on your own, don’t you?
Mike Spark 12:20 am on November 9, 2009 Permalink |
A personal friend of mine just came back from Lviv, Ukraine. She says that she couldn’t spot a single man without a gauze bandage. Moreover, people there already avoid gathering into large groups, public transport such as buses is deserted etc.
http://www.president.gov.ua/news/15609.html – here the Ukrainian president Victor Yushchenko imposes a criminal responsibility for, quoting, ‘criminal caresslessness’ in fighting the epidemic.
And about the media reaction: contrary to the western ones, the ex-USSR media cover the events very closely. You can check it on the site of ‘Kommersant’: http://kommersant.ru/theme.aspx?ThemesID=422 – a well-known russian newspaper, which tracks back its history up to 1909.
Cheers.
Jakub Pawlowicz 10:13 pm on November 18, 2009 Permalink |
Thanks for comment Mike. It’s really weird to me about this disproportion between the eastern and western media. For the past week the flu was the top news in all media here but Ukraine is no more.
Regarding the flu, it is well known that complications after seasonal flu can lead to deaths and each year the death toll is in thousands people, but up to this year it wasn’t a top news. I bet media doesn’t have anything better to do.