“60 Minutes” aired a piece last night on the dangers posed by the H1N1 flu that’s worth watching if only for its sober assessment of where the pandemic is headed. (Video at end of this post.)
When the flu first emerged early this spring, I was very critical of the Administration’s initial handling of the new threat. In those important first few days, the President and his aides misbranded the bug as “swine flu” (a mischaracterization that is still causing problems, as 60 Minutes noted yesterday), injected politics into pandemic preparedness, and delivered misinformation on the availability of vaccines and prevention. His Vice President even cautioned Americans to avoid confined spaces.
As the flu season begins and H1N1 deaths surge, the Administration appears to be doing a better job managing the pandemic. But there is so much more that they could – and should – do. For starters, the President, his family and other Administration officials should immediately and publicly get vaccinated for H1N1. This would send an important signal about the safety of the vaccines. (Similar to when the Obamas got AIDS tests in Africa.) The President told CNN last month that he would “stand in line like everybody else” before getting a shot. With all due respect, the nation would be much better served if the President was the leader of the line, rather than just joining it.
Secondly, the President should begin commenting on H1N1 regularly, especially when he talks about health care. Diseases like influenza spread in part when people are lazy or uninformed – they forget to wash their hands, or sneeze without covering their mouths. Regular reminders from the President – echoed by his aides – would serve as an important public safety announcement. As it stands, it’s been several weeks since the President mentioned the pandemic.
It seems worth noting that H1N1 pandemic and the health care reforms being debated in Congress are on a collision course. If the H1N1 flu and Congress both act as expected, by the time lawmakers are considering the final legislation this winter, we’ll be in the middle of a public health emergency unprecedented in modern times. How the Federal government handles this disease is worth considering before we give federal bureaucrats even more responsibility over Americans’ health care. So far, the Administration gets less-than-stellar grades.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
UPDATE: The graphics highlighted in the CBS report are available online here from the CDC. Note that the percentage of visits to emergency rooms related to the flu are already at levels we should expect at the height of flu season (still 12-16 weeks away). What that means for when we’re actually in the heart of flu season (and Congressional debate over health care reform, also scheduled for this winter) is anybody’s guess.
