@Judi – It’s breaking news everyday, and it should be, that’s not the problem. But you’re right, certain sensationalist entertainers can be a problem.
But look at how well the world handled SARS. So let’s ignore sensationalism and apply critical thinking. My critical thinking tells me: this should be on the news every day. We should listen to reputable people and take their advice seriously.
I would call the current swine flu ‘Mexican influenza’ by the way. Flu is actually misleading. It can mean several things:
1) Common cold (relatively harmless)
2) Seasonal influenza (serious)
3) Pandemic influenza (potentially extremely serious)
What we’re seeing is number 3. Still, the outcome could be that it kills far less people than number 2 does every year. Let’s hope this N1H1 beast remains relatively docile and does not mutate in the wrong direction. If it does, the global awareness is there. And the policies are in place and only need to be executed, which basically means shutting down all public life. Most people would simply stay at home for many days.
Very likely it will never come to that. No need to panic, but knowledge about the true potential is good. Same with hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes and so forth. Mother Nature can be very powerful.