The response to my articles on maintaining a balanced emotional reaction to the swine flu news is gratifying. It's obvious to me people want reassurance, not the latest perceived reason to panic.
This morning I read with appreciation Dr. Elizabeth Rosenthal's article, First, Sow No Panic, in today's NY Times. She starts…
"Wash your hands.
I know this sounds silly, but it is far more effective at preventing flu than having a dose-pack of Tamiflu in the medicine chest. Take it from a doctor, mother and reporter who covered SARS as well as bird flu where they were most virulent."
and ends with…
"And there is this sentence that I have so often seen: The World Health Organization has not declared a pandemic yet. The sentence would be fine – and impart just as much known information without presuming what the future holds – if it dropped the final word, 'yet.'"
