“The 2009 H1N1 pandemic continues to evolve. The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities.” (source: CNN.com)
A statement from President Obama today, as swine flu has been declared a national emergency. Because we won the war on terror, I guess.
In the same article, the Center for Disease Control said H1N1 has made its way to 46 states. It must have amassed an impressive amount of frequent-flyer miles. Too bad everyone on board would face an immediate quarantine.
The media loves a story like this. It has everything: clumsy government leaders, a silent-but-deadly threat, sick people. Sick people make great fodder for television news stories. Think back to any news telecast you’ve seen. Let’s use obesity as an example. In a story about obesity, you will see gratuitous shots of fat torsos and backsides. These people always fail to notice the camera stalking them. Maybe because there’s no ham sandwich being offered. How rude.
Such is the case of swine flu. Innumerable shots of sicky people in clinics, sickly people on line, sickly people hanging out with other sickly people, and sickly people being sickly. It’s gold.
Here’s to H1N1, America’s latest pandemic. It’s getting around more than Ryan Seacrest at a gay bar.
“Seacrest out,” indeed.