Let's not do it again. Back in 1976, panic over swine flu led to a mass-vaccination program in which nearly a quarter of the U.S. program received immunizations at a cost of $137 million—followed by millions more the government paid out in damages to victims of vaccine-related Guillain-Barre syndrome. Working in a medical facility at the time, I stood in line and received my free shot and thought no more about it. However, the whole affair is now considered a debacle, a textbook case of governmental over-response to fears of a pandemic, fears that turned out to be unfounded. Let's not do it again.
Panic and misinformation are spreading online, aided and abetted by the mainstream news media, which I know from local hurricane reports are adept at the art of crying wolf, deliberately creating fear because fear keeps people glued to the news reports, no matter how little real information is imparted.
Should the government be aware, alert, and prepared to act if this becomes a true emergency? Certainly. But let the ordinary citizen take reasonable precautions of the kind we should always be taking (handwashing, keeping sick people home), and avoid spreading panic, which is itself a dangerous disease.
(Standard legal disclaimer: I am an Ordinary Citizen, not a doctor. If your doctor tells you to panic, don't let me stop you.)
