The Journal

Issue date: 10/27/05 Section: Opinion/Editorial

Michelle Oyola

I guess I'm going to be witness to one of the greatest tragedies of human history, when the avian bird flu spreads with rapid, relentless ferocity throughout the world. All birds will be shot on sight. Chaos will consume humanity as children lay in the streets, wracked with fever. The flu will leave in its wake a death toll that makes the black plague look like a head cold.

I guess I have to give in to the fact that we'll all be dead in about 10 years.

That is, if I choose to believe the message the mass media have presented to me the last few weeks.

Media producers understand what makes human beings afraid. The thought of a tragedy like an uncontrollable virus sweeping the world is a very probable disaster and the human race is afraid of it because we can't control it (or shoot it.) What we can do, however, is watch the news - watch the cases crawl slowly toward the United States and hear of the death rate of those who have it and the threats of the virus mutating. We are frightened, so we want to learn more.

Let's consider the true facts in their entirety, without the media adding emotion to them with catastrophic, far-fetched prophecies. According to the World Health Organization, laboratory-confirmed human cases have been reported in four countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. It is believed most cases of bird flu infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. There have been no travel advisories issued regarding the bird flu and human travel in Asia. However, the avian flu spreads easily among birds due to migratory patterns.

Despite the current minimal danger to the human race, every bird flu story is paired with photos of people in full body masks, handling birds like they are aliens with tentacles. A headline posted on CNN.com shouted "New bird flu outbreak in Russia," and the fact that the virus cannot yet transmit from human to human was buried in the 23rd graph. A New York Times story's headline reads "Danger of Flu Pandemic Is Clear, if Not Present." Isn't it interesting that eight stories were posted in one day on this nonexistent danger? Countless other stories utilize words like "fear," "widespread," "killer" and "deadly" to trigger emotions in readers.

There are two reasons media professionals and every news station in the country believe the bird flu could mean disaster. One reason is viruses can mutate. Right now, all cases have been transmitted from bird to human, yet the virus cannot spread from human to human. So what's the problem? Why not just wash your hands after playing with Polly Parrot?

The media reports this virus may mutate into a form that can transfer among people. Viruses are capable of adapting to the environment - they all are. That is why new medicines must be developed all the time. Doctors tell parents not to bring their kids in every time they have an ear infection for the same reason. Viruses can be compared to that nasty human parasite lice. All of the current shampoos, sprays and soaks hardly work, because the lice have adapted themselves into meaner, stronger little bugs.

So basically, any virus at any time could mutate and kill us all. It's been like that for centuries, but hell, we're still here.
The media won't let us off that easy. Professionals are saying the world is due for a massive viral catastrophe. Apparently, it has been too long since we were last hit and we must prepare ourselves for the disaster just around the corner.

These claims remind me of the Missouri earthquake threats. I still remember a video when I was in kindergarten that they made us watch. A cartoon dog, I think his name was Ruffy, told all of our impressionable little minds that an earthquake may hit us at any second and we needed to remember exactly what to do when the world swallowed itself. I couldn't sleep for weeks. My mom called the school to complain.

One good thing has come out of all of this hype. Many municipalities and counties are looking at how prepared they are in case of a viral emergency. In Franklin County, where I live, the health department has made additional steps to combat any and all diseases due to of the bird flu scare.

It is important to be prepared and to consider all possible emergencies. Katrina has proven that. As responsible citizens, we must ensure that our lawmakers are ready and waiting to help the public if a widespread urgent situation occurs. Sometimes the media point out the gaps in the government's planning, raising public awareness and encouraging change.

While preparation of a viral catastrophe may be on the rise in many areas, fear is also skyrocketing due to these threats of Armageddon. There must be a better way for the media to bring up a topic that needs attention without using hyperboles to obtain the public's attention. We're smart enough to realize the importance of a detriment to current public safety plans without having it scared into us.




Michelle Oyola, a junior journalism major, is a staff reporter for The Journal.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools