Like something straight out of a TV disaster miniseries or any number of virus thrillers that came out in the nineties, the swine flu has landed. According to the World Health Organization, it has been escalated to a Phase 4 because of its increasingly efficient ability to jump from person to person. Which brings me to my beef.  

I know that our government wants to avoid panic. No politician or government official wants to be the guy who said the sky is falling and caused a riot or got laughed out of the Capitol Building. And I totally agree that panic can be very dangerous.

On the other hand, I don’t expect people in positions of authority to sit there and pretend that everything is fine. That is not crisis management. That is avoidance. Obama’s wordplay yesterday- you know, “cause for concern, not cause for alarm”?- really made me more angry than anything. It seemed flippant and playful. Not the mood our president should strike in the wake of over a hundred deaths south of the border.

I don’t- and I’m willing to bet the majority of Americans don’t- want someone to tell us, “Nah, don’t worry about it. Everything’s fine.” When we are hearing stories about people dying in the country next door, we want someone who is taking things seriously, someone who says, “This may just blow over, but let’s get as prepared as possible just in case.” Which person makes you feel safer?

In addition, I would be really ticked to learn that they had been flippant about it because they were worried about economic or political perceptions.

Anyway, just so this post consists of more than my gripes, here are some helpful swine flu avoiding tips from the CDC website:

  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
  • Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
  • Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
  • If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Good luck out there, people!