CBS: While WHO moves to level 5 - Swine Flu Is Bad, Creating Panic Is Dangerous

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While WHO moves to level 5 - Swine Flu Is Bad, Creating Panic Is Even More Dangerous

Unfortunately, government officials (and the Press) - never willing to let a good crisis go to waste - seem more prone to extreme statements and measures than the rest of us mortals. Like Lebanon's health minister discouraging customary friendly kisses on cheeks. France which wants a Europe-wide ban on flights to Mexico, contrary to the World Health Organization's recommendations, and even though Europe already has confirmed cases of swine flu. Egyptian farmers rioted after their government ordered the slaughter of up to 400,000 pigs, even though no cases have been reported in that country. And U.S. pork producers' lobbying to rename swine flu Mexico flu, now also seems perfectly understandable.The facts are that the regular influenza season causes more than 200,000 hospitalizations in the United States and about 41,000 deaths. By comparison, swine flu has caused only one confirmed death in the United States - in the case of a toddler visiting from Mexico, and seven confirmed deaths south of the border. Mexican Health Secretary Jose Cordova says he believes the situation is stabilizing, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the need for hospitalization in the U.S. is rare.

To his credit, President Obama struck a more even tone in his press conference on Wednesday evening, saying: "The most important thing right now that public health officials have indicated is that we treat this the same way that we would treat other flu outbreaks, just understanding that, because this is a new strain, we don't yet know how it will respond." Note EU-Digest: In Denmark Steffen Glismann, a doctor at Statens Serum Institute and in charge of monitoring the swine-flu outbreak, has said that there is no reason to fear swine flu. Glismann said that each year more than 1,000 Danes die of regular flu and that fewer people will die as a result of swine flu. He added that the media's depiction of the outbreak is disproportionate and insisted that most people if affected will only have normal flu symptoms for a week and then be fine. So folks, sit tight, don't panic and remember that when you listen to the politicians and journalists not to get carried away. Their motives are different from yours.