The Real Pandemic is Fear

From The Publisher and Editor of in-Georgetown.

The Mexican Swine Flu or H1N1 is not a pandemic, truly it is not much more than the normal seasonal flu, it has only reached “pandemic” because of the media hype that has surrounded it.

Lets get some facts: According to Wikipedia the Swine Flu is much smaller than the seasonal flu.

I just returned from a trip to Mexico, the Mayan Riviera (south of Cancun) and can say that there were no cases reported in our resort and none of the resort staff/management that we spoke with had heard of a flu case in the area. But the media would have you believe that every Mexican and every traveller to Mexico is infected by the dreaded Swine Flu.

We watched CNN and the BBC at the resort and noted that every new “suspected” case is presented as evidence of the spread of the pandemic, even before it has been properly confirmed. Statistics surrounding this event have been often exaggerated or are completely inaccurate, “probable” death tolls included unconfirmed cases.

The media also claimed that people are in panic, yet the only panic I have seen has been manufactured by the media. In fact a news reporter offered travellers money to wear flu masks in front of the cameras at the Cancun Airport. Upon our arrival in Toronto’s Pearson Airport, we suspected that the media would be looking for ways to pump up the hype, so my wife and I put on flu masks just as we walked out of the arrival doors. Out of a crowd of people getting off that flight, a CityTV reporter tried to get the only two people wearing masks in front of the camera (we declined).

The Real Pandemic is not the Swine Flu but the Fear that the media conjures up to get eyeballs for their advertisers. The media keeps you glued to the program by their spicy use of language, providing global maps tracking the flu or promising the latest numbers in the death toll or the top 10 ways to fight the flu, which is no more than common sense advice like wash your hands and cough into your sleeve. This is the same advice a doctor would provide to avoid the seasonal flu.

The media did the same with the economy, every day the rate of foreclosures or the declining stock prices or newest job losses, they beat every one of these stories to death. But now that the majority of people are immune to the constant bombardment of economic news or simply bored with the whole thing, the media jumps to the next hot topic and hypes the hell out of it.

With the level of hype presented, governments and business are forced to respond, or deal with the lawsuits if someone does get sick. The Head of the The CDC in the US recommends against travel to Mexico and Canadian travel operators suspend packages and flights to Mexico during the Month of May, businesses quarantine all staff (healthy or not) returning from Mexico, the unfortunate losers in this whole mess is the Mexican people. All of the reported deaths have been Mexican and now with restricted travel to Mexico, the Mexican people can enjoy even more difficult economic times over the foreseeable future. Just like the SARs panic in Toronto, it might be quite some time before people start to travel to Mexico in the numbers they once did. Resorts may close some permanently and resort staff that rely on tips are laid off (even temporarily) may not be able to make ends meet.

The media has manufactured this pandemic and the panic that surrounds it and they should be ashamed.

If you are able you should consider a trip to Mexico, when the travel ban is lifted starting in June, there will be some great deals and you will be helping our neighbour to the south.

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