Thursday, April 30, 2009

Swine Flu: Spreading Pandemic Panic in our Country

By Alyce Maddocks

Here in the USA, we’re never short on drama. The latest news is about the swine flu. There have been outbreaks all over the country: New York, California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio and Indiana, and it’s spreading every day. According to current news, it began with a Catholic school in New York, when some students spent their spring break in Mexico and brought the virus back with them.

With 68 cases confirmed in the U.S. and the number growing every day, the country is going into panic mode. Government officials began saying early this week that the country has been overreacting to the flu but even more recently, health commissioner Thomas Frieden has been quoted as saying, “It is here and it is spreading. We do not know whether it will continue to spread.” Those with confirmed cases are asked to stay at home along with their families to prevent spreading the swine flu. While there have been a little more than 150 deaths in Mexico, there has only been one death in America. An infant that was only 23-months-old died in Texas making this the first death from the swine flu in our country and also sparking more panic in people.

Do you guys think we’re overreacting to this new pandemic or maybe acting rationally to a crisis?

1 comment:

  1. Personally, I think that it's better safe than sorry. I am not a parent, but if I were I know I wouldn't be sending my baby to school right now. It is always better to air on the side of caution. Now, I do think it's funny that our President had to tell us how to stop the spread of germs (wash your hands people, sneeze into your sleeve, not your hand - really??). These are things that we should be doing all the time and teaching our children to do as well.

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