Swine flu, beyond the headlines
For now, there is just one thing I feel I have to add to the avalanche of net related comments regarding the suspected swine flu outbreak in Mexico, and that is the immensely confused, and largely uninformative (in a few cases even misinformative) nature of most of what I have seen in the mass media, both within Mexico and abroad. With few exceptions, almost nobody has even bothered to send their reporters to clinics and hospitals in order to get straightforward and first person information from doctors on the front line. I most certainly do not suspect conspiracy, but I do find it very disappointing, and symptomatic of the low standards to which most newspapers and sources seem to work.
On the other hand, while I certainly think this is serious, and am serious myself about preventive measures, I have happily stumbled into a few select sites or reports that seem to favour common sense and rational thinking over screaming headlines. Herewith a quick and dirty selection of a few that I found enlightening.
I may or may not be back with further comment tomorrow, mostly regarding my impressions of the suddenly quiet tempo of Mexico City.
EDIT: Another useful comment I just ran into:
And a very useful Q&A from The Independent:
