Saturday, 2 May 2009 This week’s outbreak of swine flu has provoked some alarming predictions from medical scientists about the toll a pandemic could
take on human life. Some feel that the tone of these predictions has been hyperbolic and unhelpful. In time, a vaccine will be produced, but the virus can move ominously fast in the meantime. The fact that it has appeared in 11 countries since the first known case in Mexico early last month shows how quickly it can spread. And the news in recent days of the contraction of swine flu by individuals who did not travel to Mexico (where the virus would appear to have originated) is a significant step in its progression. It is, of course, good news that some patients have already recovered from swine flu. But, in the event of a pandemic, there could be many &ndash possibly millions &ndash with weakened immune systems who do not pull through. The objective of governments should be to try to prevent swine flu becoming a pandemic and to deal with the disease effectively if it does. Our own Government appears to be taking the right precautionary measures by isolating patients and launching a public information campaign emphasising the need for hygiene. A swelling number of scientists believe swine flu has not happened by accident
What a masterstroke if Clegg declared that he was ready to swap jobs with his deputy