From the BBC coverage on Swine Flu
Hi everybody!
You may be wondering about our silence. Well, besides our conference in August, we are going also to present a paper here, and thus we are working hard for it.
Therefore, just some quick comments about the swine flu incident.
First, to note how it was treated as a security issue in its own right, see for example the respective editorial column of the economist:
IT IS said that no battle-plan survives contact with the enemy. This was certainly true of the plan drawn up over the past few years to combat an influenza pandemic. The generals of global health assumed that the enemy would be avian flu, probably passed from hens to humans, and that it would strike first in southern China or South-East Asia. In fact, the flu started in an unknown pig, and the attack came in Mexico, not Asia. (Keep reading here
And the pandemic menace has been a security issue with ALL its components: emergency measures, restriction of human rights, use of public force... The article of Selgelid and Enemark "INFECTIOUS DISEASES, SECURITY AND ETHICS: THE CASE OF HIV/AIDS" (sorry, no free link here) can give you a good idea of the components I refer to. I consider that these arguments should be meditated more before loosely ascribing a threat to human security. This, the principal argument of my (under construction) presentation in August.
Let's for example, imagine about the patients: were they humans or the disease? Mexican in all the world were stigmatized all around the world, denied their right to free movement, and as in China, repatriated (see here the photo from the Telegraph - most probably is not related to the incident, but helps you have an idea about the situation)
In Japan, where initial efforts of isolation did not work, the subsequent strategy of containment has also presented the problem of stigmatization. You can have a look at this article of the Japan Times , where the journalists follow the responsibility of media in exacerbating fear.
This elements for your consideration while we prepare for August conference.
See you there!