I already commented on the current swine flu craziness in Japan.
But since then about 20 new tabs with newsworthy facts opened up in my Firefox. I thought about writing another lengthy article about those, but, lucky me, somebody else beat it to me.
[...] On the surface, the overall media reaction to what could have been a serious outbreak seems fact-based and rational (with notable exceptions!). They followed every government move and reported on the infections. And basically the government did what it should have – maybe there was an over-emphasis on masks and they were a little slow to switch tactics when the virus turned out to be relatively harmless. But I have to agree with Mike and Takashi Uesugi who argue that the media completely freaked out over the swine flu. The breathlessness, the dead-serious tone, and the constant “breaking news” of every miniscule detail of the story all have combine to create an fearful atmosphere that’s truly numbing when you realize how comparatively non-threatening this flu virus really is. [...]
So instead of writing my own article, I will just quote some of the headlines and news videos that accumulated over the past week. And of course you really should read Adamu’s blog post and the comments. It’s worth the time!
Espescially the first comment by a fellow who calls himself Aceface is very interesting:
I have arguments here.
One.Japan isn’t the only country to think this is the second black death.So was the WHO,and elsewhere around the world.
[...]
Five [sic: it's actually #6].Very Obviously,this guy wasn’t in the states in October,2001.When America went crazy about another terrorist attack,envelopes with anthrax and wackos gunning down the Indians in turban and everyone weared the badge of the flag.
[...]
OK,so you are telling me that the whole western media outlets have somekind of mission to topple down the exisiting order and turn the whole society upside down.eh?
I think he actually has a point there with number “Five” (it’s #6, really, trust me). That reminds me of Volker Pispers (esp. 5:01 till the end).
Anyway, you should read all the comments, it’s quite interesting.
And here now the promised headlines with quotes and embedded videos:
Schweine Influenza aka H1N1 in Japan Fortsetzung (2009/05/18) (German blog post by Michael Hess)
Masks selling out in Japan (2009/05/18) The flu is still being treated like the the ultra-deadly virus it is not, and the authorities still insist on encouraging people to wear masks.
Osaka governor not falling for the swine flu panic (2009/05/18) “The measures we have taken have assumed a high virulence akin to avian flu, but the swine flu virus appears to be less virulent,” Hashimoto said.
AP: H1N1 flu causing schools to shut down “across Japan” (2009/05/19) The Associated Press filed this video report in which it told viewers that schools were shutting down “across Japan” because of the swine flu:
Cases of swine flu near 10,000 (2009/05/19) Nearly 10,000 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in 40 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.
Flu prompts karaoke boom in Japan (2009/05/19) Students from schools and colleges in Japan shut down over fears of swine flu have been flocking to karaoke clubs to fill their new-found free time.
Swine flu reaches Tokyo (2009/05/20) The Japanese press is reporting that the Tokyo area now has its first confirmed swine flu case.
Japan Fears Spread of Swine Flu as Cases Rise (2009/05/20) It seems like the Japanese Government once again treated a disease as a foreign problem. [...] From the Washington Post: To stop swine flu before it could sneak off airplanes arriving from North America, Japan dispatched masked health inspectors with fever-sensing guns to walk among passengers.
Japanese government to stop onboard flu checks of arriving airline passengers (2009/05/20) “We need to shift the focus of our human resources from quarantine efforts to domestic countermeasures,” Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said at a hastily arranged press conference Monday.
Model UN conference was source of swine flu infections? (2009/05/21) The two Japanese high school students confirmed as the Kanto region’s first H1N1 infections had visited New York city between May 11th and 18th, staying in a hotel room together while participating in a Model UN conference.
Opportunists selling surgical masks for high prices online (2009/05/21) The swine flu outbreak in Kansai caused people to make a run on stores selling surgical masks. With so many stores sold out of masks, some people have turned to the internet to purchase protection from the flu.
Swine flu commercial: Prime Minister tells Japanese people to remain calm (2009/05/21) This commercial, in which Prime Minister Taro Aso tells the Japanese people to remain calm in the midst of an H1N1 flu outbreak, has been airing on TV a lot in the last few days:
Wearing masks in areas with no swine flu (2009/05/21) A clip from yesterday’s Fuji TV news broadcast shows that kindergarteners in Chiba Prefecture, an area of Japan with no confirmed H1N1 flu cases, are being forced to wear protective masks while going on a short field trip:
Osaka toy retailer goes bust in 1st case linked with new flu+ (2009/05/21) The Osaka District Court decided Thursday to begin bankruptcy proceedings for an Osaka-based toy retailer which went bust due to sluggish sales at airports as people using the facilities decreased as a result of the spreading new-influenza infection on top of effects of the global recession.
Watch the news and be afraid (2009/05/22) After showing the range of possible infection, the fact that the girls were wearing masks is mentioned. However, an expert tells us that masks are not very effective at containing powerful coughs.
Shops and restaurants try to lure customers with anti-flu measures (2009/05/22) As fears over the spread of swine flu cause people across Japan to cancel outings, many shops and restaurants have been seeing a decline in business.
Who is that masked man/woman? (2009/05/22) As the confirmed number of Japanese infected with the H1N1 flu virus rises, the growing question among many is: Where can we buy face masks? [...] On a Yahoo! Japan auction site, one box of 100 surgical face masks was auctioned at around $280, compared with the original price of $20. One listed on Friday was offered at $5,000 for a box of 50.
Japan Plays Down Swine Flu Threat as Business Suffers (Update1) (2009/05/22) Japan relaxed its policies for tackling swine flu to measures similar to those taken for the seasonal influenza to reduce panic about the virus that is damaging businesses and the economy. [...] “The damage done by swine flu is worse than the Lehman Shock,” Kitamura said today, referring to the global recession triggered by the implosion of Wall Street banks. “We’re so scared since we don’t know how long this will last.” [...] The number of confirmed swine flu cases globally totaled 11,034 in 41 countries. A total of 85 people have been killed by the virus, according to the WHO’s latest tally.
Chinese city donates 100,000 face masks to Kobe (2009/05/23) The northern Chinese city Tianjin is donating 100,000 disposable face masks to its sister-city Kobe to help it fight the outbreak of new-flu infections, Chinese state media said Friday.
I tried to quote them in order they appeared, but I didn’t go as far as to check the exact time down to the hours&minutes.
As you can see my main source of information is japanprobe.com, but they link to the various original news site themselves, so it’s no big deal I guess.
