Swine Flu Headlines

As most of you have probably noticed, the swine flu “epidemic” has been sweeping the world with headlines have ranged from certain and impending doom to mild and dismisable reports within a few days. According to CNN.com, “the outbreak is only about 10 days old,” yet headlines have bounced back and forth between the concept that this outbreak is taking over the world and the outbreak is slowing down daily.
If headlines are the first blurbs people tend to read then readers on all fronts are probably feeling a little bi-polar. Last night, CNN’s main headline stated, “Confirmed cases of H1N1 virus approach 900,” while Fox confirmed, “Flu Virus 'Fairly Widespread',” and once clicked, “U.S. Flu Tally Jumps to 245 Cases in 34 States as Labs Catch Up.” In the meantime, MSNBC’s headline seemed the most ominous of all, “Mexico City Recovers from flu- and fear,” with a second headline further down the page, “Flu spreading elsewhere.”
Last night TIME magazine’s website did not have the Swine Flu as one of their main headlines on the main page, but did have a link connecting to CNN for new updates on the flu. The BBC’s main page displayed the headline cautioned, “WHO warns against flu complacency.”
Interestingly enough, the poll results for CNN’s Quick Vote revealed that 94% of those who have taken the poll stated that they would not “wear a mask in public due to H1N1 virus,” while only 4% said they would. While it’s important to note that the results do not indicate how many people have taken the poll, nor do they offer any demographic information on voters, many people seem to be generally unconcerned about the flu, at least from what I’ve seen on campus.
For those of you who believe that the epidemic will iminently kill millions be sure to stay off campus, out of movie theaters, malls, airports, and every where else that might contain 2 or more people. For the rest of us who already have plans, break out your antibacterial lotion and hope for the best.