The government is acting like back-to-school season will somehow resemble "28 Days Later."
The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology claims that a Swine Flu epidemic has the potential to cause up to 90,000 deaths and leave 1.8 million Americans hospitalized, a statistic that has caused a bit of a panic.
Even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a counter-statement claiming that the death tolls would not likely be that high, and the number of deaths thus far does not suggest a future zombie apocalypse, many measures are being taken to prevent a possible disaster.
UF, for one, had a bright idea when they realized that imposing such stringent attendance criteria could encourage infected kids to come to class. This semester, UF students do not have to show up to exams if they are sick. This is a good idea despite the fact that many will take advantage of it (duh).
Among other preventative measure that seems like a good idea: The state of New York is offering free vaccines to its residents, and "Sesame Street" is doing a special about hand washing (and so is "Plaza Sesamo" in Mexico, which is the cutest thing we've ever heard).
The state of Massachusetts, however, is taking the idea of encouraging people to stay home and stay hygienic a little too far. Currently making its way through the state legislature is the Pandemic Response Bill. If passed, the bill will allow the governor to declare a health emergency and allow law enforcement officials to forcibly enter the homes of citizens and quarantine or vaccinate them.
Whether this bill is a response to Barack Obama's team's report is unclear. However, if it is, the Obama team needs to issue another report that takes the Centers for Disease Control's findings into consideration. The people at the CDC know what they're talking about, and if its slightly less abysmal view of the coming school year will allay American's fears, it should be made common knowledge.
After Hurricane Katrina, it makes sense that lawmakers and politicians want to prevent any sort of comparable disaster; no one wants to take the blame for unnecessary suffering or death. However, H1N1 is not the bubonic plague, and it shouldn't be treated as such. Blowing things out of proportion with exaggerated predictions or with possible bills involving storm troopers is as irresponsible as taking no preventative measures at all.
As Cillian Murphy's character in "28 Days Later" said, "See, this is a really shit idea. You know why? Because it's really obviously a shit idea." Sure, you can scare people into washing their hands. But you don't need to scare them with the threat of involuntary detainment and needle injection.
We know people who have had Swine Flu (former editorial board member, sort-of rhymes with "Bland Sicko"). Sure it was uncomfortable, and sure, they needed to stay indoors. But, to them, that was common sense.
Obama needs to allay the fears of Americans who are counting the days until the rapture by assuring them that the death tolls will not be as high as his team initially reported. He also needs to redirect state lawmakers who feel as if they need to pass bills that infringe on the basic rights of Americans in response to an imaginary threat.
Wash your hands, stay home when you're sick, see a doctor if you don't feel well. That's all you need to do to prevent Left4Dead from becoming your day-to-day. Warning people to stay safe is one thing, frightening them half to death is counterintuitive.
