I think the World Health Organization wants a crisis that's serious enough to attract most of America's attention. The swine flu really doesn't qualify, at least not in its current state, but this is the perfect opportunity to create a crisis. Like most other large agencies, WHO really wants to justify its existence, and getting America's attention is one of the very-best ways to do that. The more we notice them, and the more they show themselves during this niggling little problem, the more likely we are to turn to them first when something that's actually serious happens here in the States.

You could be right, though. I wouldn't exactly be surprised if many of us are "encouraged" to take the swine-flu vaccine when or if it's developed. I hate the idea of being told what to do, especially when it relates to a vaccination that I can't necessarily trust as far as future side effects go - it'll be a new vaccination, so nobody knows what'll happen to you in, say, a year, if you take it.

I also think that this swine-flu bit provides an excellent opportunity for the world at large to figure out how we're going to deal with a true biological crisis. What if the swine-flu strain mutates into a nasty, horrible flu that drops tens, or even hundreds, of millions of people all over the globe? If we take advantage of the current strain's spread, and study it, we might be able to figure out effective ways to shut down future problems before they become epic.

Asker's Rating:

Permalink | Report