The swine flu clean up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The swine flu clean up - Essay Example It is noteworthy that the earlier SARS outbreak as well as the Hurricane Katrina were at threat level three and four respectively. Though the current administration has not been found wanting in its response, there are nonetheless several steps that could have been taken to counter the threat of transmission. Swine Flu is a virus that spreads from pigs to humans and then from humans to humans as well. The typical symptoms are coughing, fever and headache with muscular atrophy as well. The greatest risk is not from eating pork but from the spread of the virus from person to person. There has been a widespread belief that the current hype over the swine flu outbreak has largely been media driven and in reality, the outbreak is not as severe as it seems. As the ABC news website puts it, â€Å"As the swirling national media coverage of swine flu nears the end of its first full week, signs are emerging that a certain degree of panic may be gripping the public† (ABC News, 2009). Further, the website adds that, â€Å"While the official case tally in the United States hovers at 64, according to data presented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today, even suspected cases are edging their way into the public eye†. Thus it is apparent that people by and large are worried over the pandemic and are taking preventive steps to protect themselves and their families against the outbreak. The WHO or the World Health Organization responded immediately to the new threat by convening an emergency meeting where the threat level was raised to 5. According to a prominent news website, â€Å"The World Health Organization called a third emergency meeting in response to a spike in swine flu cases and said the expert panel will discuss Wednesday whether to raise the worldwide flu alert level. After the panels first meeting Saturday, WHO declared the outbreak an international public health emergency and on Monday it raised the pandemic alert level from