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Sun, May 3rd - 9:13PM
The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition
The Lilith eZine Sunday Edition
Letter from the Editor
The big news around the world this week is the H1N1 flu epidemic (commonly known as Swine Flu) which has been spreading across the globe at a mathematical rate and is one step away from being declared a global pandemic.
So far its killed 102 people in Mexico and the United States
and made thousands more sick and because its airborne its difficult to
control its spread, sparking worry that it could kill millions world
wide since a vaccine can't be made in a hurry.
There's also been widespread confusion about how H1N1 is spread (Paris Hilton
for example said "I don't eat that stuff", referring to pork products
without knowing its not spread that way), questions of the seriousness
of the disease, how deadly it is and lastly questioning whether the
mass media has overblown the situation.
Well, lets step back a second and remember the SARS epidemic of 2003. It started in China,
infected 8,096 people in seventeen countries and killed 774 (that is a
fatality rate of 9.6%) in seven countries (including killing 44 people
in Canada). Thankfully it wasn't airborne. You actually had to touch someone or something carrying the SARS virus for it to be passed on.
The
problem with SARS and the reason why it still managed to spread is that
initially people didn't take it seriously. Health organizations were
unprepared for how easily it spread through human contact. Even nurses
and doctors were falling sick and dying because they failed to take
every precaution. If it had spread out of control, reaching pandemic
levels 5 and 6, we could have seen a huge catastrophe instead of a mere
disaster.
With the H1N1 virus however... there's still a lot of
people who don't know anything about it or how its spread. People
aren't taking it seriously and it is the mass media's responsibility,
their civic duty, to warn people about the dangers so they know enough
to wash their hands constantly, quarantine themselves if for several
days if they recently returned from Mexico and see a doctor if they
suspect they have the H1N1 virus instead of the common cold. Failure to
do that, and we could see a global pandemic that will make SARS look
like a minor infection.
Is it possible the media has overblown
the situation? Nonsense. Wait until the pandemic is over and then we
can argue whether all the media attention is warranted, and I can tell
you right now, if this extra media attention manages to save just one
life... it was worth it.
If an American child falls down a well
and becomes a media spotlight of the week, is it worth it? Not really
some might say. But if nobody had even bothered to notice the kid
shouting for help then it would be worth it. That would be the true
tragedy.
Media pundits spending their time worrying about the
score of the football game, what Michelle Obama wore to so-and-so's
funeral or what brain-dead-hunk is currently dating Paris Hilton. Those
kinds of things are truly wasteful. So why is it when its something
important suddenly people want us to stop talking about it?
Sometimes
its just necessary to get the word out and anyone who wants to stick
their head in the proverbial sandbox and ignore the world around them
should be well-advised the world has a nasty habit of sneaking up on
people and smacking them where they least expect it.
Sincerely,
Suzanne MacNevin
Editor of the Lilith eZine
Fashion
Advanced Corset Design
Paulina Porizkova
Feminism
The Problem that Has No Name
The Happy Housewife Heroine
Religion
The Politics of Religion
For daily news and blog posts check out the Lilith News.
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Sun, May 3rd - 6:49PM
News Headlines
Also, since Spring is here... its time to fix that bicycle that is rusting in your garage. Check out The Bicycle Mechanic for some helpful tips and step-by-step guides. Check out these bicycle repair and bicycle news pages:
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