Swine Flu

You remember the great swine flu epidemic of 2009, right? Really, you don't remember the school's being closed across the country after the first wave of fatalities? And how people stopped eating pork to such an extent that farmers simply slaughtered most of their pigs and then burned the meat? You don't remember that? Well, of course not. No-one does, because it didn't happen. It also true that no one knows why it didn't happen.

The interesting question at this point, as one looks back to the way in which decisions were made to stop an epidemic before it got started. In the aftermath of the flu season, when there had been no outbreak, many people criticized public health officials for having over-reacted. Those officials in turn argued two points. First, it was better to over-react than to under-react because the consequences of the former were far more...
[ View Full Essay]