Last week, when the pandemic alert was at its height, we set up a special quarantine area here at the 6minutes office. Not for any suspect sneezers from Mexico, but for all the febrile faxes and press releases we received about That Infection (yes, we're fed up with reading about it, and its name shall not be mentioned in this blog).
Some have criticised Mexican authorities for being slow off the mark, but the same can't be said for the business community, who swung into cashing-in mode faster than Speedy Gonzales.
No sooner had the WHO ratcheted up its pandemic warning state and announced that the pandemic "threatened the whole of humanity" than we were deluged with press releases telling us about the benefits of Brand X disinfectant against the alleged virus, and about the best antivirals and face masks to use. We even had software makers extolling the benefits of their programs for tracking the disease. It looks like the government is not alone in having a contingency plan for a pandemic.
Thankfully, the virus appears to be much less pathogenic than first feared and the illness seen so far has been mild. So it is timely to reflect upon the lessons that can be learned from this 'dry run'. The rapid spread of the disease left many uncertain about how to react. Patients were first advised to see their GP, then later told to ring up first before presenting. In New Zealand, patients have been told to wait outside the doctor's surgery in their car and toot the horn three times.
One GP lamented how he received only faxes from the health department giving "pie-in-the-sky advice that bears little resemblance to the realities of suburban general practice".
Surely we can do better than this? With the threat of a pandemic hanging over our heads for several years now, is it too much to ask for all practices to be supplied with a pandemic kit containing things like face masks, information posters and quarantine protocols?
The WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan has been criticised for making alarmist statements and crying wolf. Perhaps she has inadvertently done us a favour by exposing our unreadiness to face a real pandemic.
Comments
Lee Simes comment sounds way more interesting than health dept. faxes....what the ?
I placed an order for some advertised goods from a large Living Rock named company. TThey phoned to tell me the masks had increased in cost - from 12 boxes of 50 @ ~ $70 to over $50 per box of 50 ! Pure extortion. Posted by Bob Nomes on Thursday, 21 May 2009
Keep going Mr Woodhead You haven't quite expunged me from the face of the earth. Keep covering yourself with glory by suppressing free speech. You must feel very brave deleting me by remote control without having to face me. There is still a blog of mine left on Annette's site and some others. Lee Simes Posted by Lee Simes on Thursday, 7 May 2009
