Media hype as “NHS worker” is confirmed with H1N1
Cynics have said that the news coverage of the developing Swine Flu outbreak / pandemic is a conspiracy plot to divert attention from the global “credit crunch” and recession.
An apocalyptic story about a super-mutant pig-human-bird killer hybrid virus - simply known as H1N1 - that will kill millions and change the course of human history as we know it.
That’s a good bet for a news item that will help sell newspapers in the middle of a recession.
I had initially discounted such accusations because the source of the influenza pandemic scare is an esteemed inter-governmental benevolent non-profit body, the World Health Organisation, in cooperation with a range of governmental health agencies in different countries such as the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in USA and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the UK.
An “NHS worker”…?
Iain & Dawn Askham were the first confirmed cases of H1N1 in the UK, and now Iain’s friend, Graeme Pacitti, has also been confirmed as having H1N1. This story would have been interesting enough as it is a convincing case of human-human transmission of H1N1.
What I found surprising and disappointing is how the media have sensationalised it with headlines such as:
- NHS worker awaits swine flu results (Daily Express)
- NHS worker caught swine flu in UK (The Times)
- NHS worker could be Britain’s first human-to-human swine flu case (24dash.com)
This is irresponsible reporting as it sensationalises the story inappropriately. Anyone reading the headline would assume that a front-line NHS carer (doctor, nurse, etc.) has caught H1N1 in the course of caring for a patient with the virus. If this were true, it would cast severe doubt over the HPA’s strategy for protecting health care workers who are looking after patients, and undermine confidence in the health system from the inside.
The reality is that Graeme Pacitti is an assistant clerical officer at Falkirk Royal Infirmary. He does not have direct contact with patients. He caught the virus while having a drink with Iain Askham after football training.
The “NHS worker” prefix is clearly just a trick to sell more newspapers.
