Draft one... wow.

On April 24^th, 2009, the World Health Organization released their first article titled “Influenza-like illness in the United States and Mexico” revealing details of a newly discovered human strain of the Influenza A virus called H1N1, or swine flu. A total of seven confirmed cases were reported in the United States at the time of this article and another nine suspected cases were still pending(WHO). Later that same day, the director of the Centers for Disease Control Dr. Richard Besser states in a press briefing that “containment (in the United States) is not very likely.(CDC)” This statement made the story of the Swine Flu fly from zero to warp speed.

In what seemed like an instant, Fox, CNN, MSNBC and all other national as well as local news agencies began reporting on this previously unmentioned virus every minute of every day. All other news articles took a backseat as the next possible pandemic was seared into the minds of everyone. Pictures and videos of people wearing masks due to the concern of swine flu suddenly appeared from around the globe. Key statements beginning with “it may be too late…” made everyone stop what they were doing as fear was struck into the hearts of everyone.

As if scaring everyone was not satisfactory enough, the media continued to cover this case on every step of its development. On April 25^th, the news covered the closing of an entire school district to prevent further spread of the virus. This coverage only made this story gain more attention, even from those who were previously unconcerned with the issue. Less than a week later on the 29^th, the first death in America due to the swine flu occurred. From this point forward, nothing else seemed to matter. The story had become king of the media and nothing could remove it from the spotlight; not the recession we are all suffering through, not the healthcare bill which will, if passed dramatically affect our lives, not even the sudden death of a superstar could dethrone the issue of the swine flu.

In perhaps the world’s greatest example of the press-sphere, my life was directly changed by the swine flu stories. Media outlets have a nasty reputation for making everything overly dramatic to make news interesting and gain the viewership of as many people as they can. The case of the swine flu was no different. News reporters jumped at every chance they could get their hands on to make this story seem worse than it truly was.

My life was affected on many levels because of the magnitude of this story. At its introduction, I was not concerned with the swine flu. I attributed its coverage to the news making a mountain of a molehill. However, as schools across the United States began closing to prevent the spread of this strain of the flu for which there was no cure, I became more interested in its destructive path. Superficially, I was the typical high school senior praying for every excuse for a school cancellation, including swine flu. Yet deep down, I was very concerned. The reports began mentioning that the swine flu was attacking and killing young people, who are the polar opposite of the group expected. What if I got the swine flu?

My next concern came months later as my older brother prepared to leave for Greece. I remember the reports saying how everyone should avoid air travel if possible because of the spread of the flu. We discussed cancelling his nonessential trip for fear of him contracting the it- or worse yet, getting sick once overseas. The decision to keep his original agenda was not a stress free choice due to this. The only thing we could do was start him on a tamiflu regimen before he left and hope for the best. As the summer droned on, the coverage by the news continued but hopes were high for a vaccine so concerns were lessened.

My distress has faded into inconvenience as the news began reporting actual numbers instead of just predictions. Early last month, the school adopted its “Stay Well or Stay Home” policy. Prior to the swine flu, class attendance was encouraged or even mandatory. Mentally I have been affected because now I question the severity of every sniffle or sneeze I have. My nurse mother made sure that as soon as possible, she bought tamiflu for my dorm room, just in case.

The University of Louisville, in an attempt to keep its campus healthy, may possibly have surrendered to the dramatic spin from the news. In addition to its “Stay Well or Stay Home” policy, the dorms and classrooms have systematically installed hand sanitizer dispensers. I have received goodie bags in the mail containing fliers of facts about the swine flu and of course- hand sanitizer. The walls of elevators and halls have been plastered with instructions on how to sneeze and cough without spreading germs.

Within the last few weeks, the University has begun offering a free swine flu vaccination to go along with the seasonal flu vaccination. The true sentiment of the severity of the swine flu was revealed as I along with many of my classmates chose not to receive the vaccine. It seems as though the fear of getting the swine flu from the vaccine overshadows the concern of getting it from an outside source.

Though the swine flu could possibly still affect as many people as original estimates stated, it has yet to come close to even the most conservative estimates. On average, the seasonal flu kills 36,000 people in the United States alone. Comparatively, the swine flu has killed about 4,000 Americans since April, well under the number killed by the seasonal flu on just an average year. I believe that the media created a firestorm of an issue that could have simply been a back page story. The main reason this occurred was because of the group of people who were being affected and killed by swine flu. Unlike the deaths from seasonal flu, which occur predominately in those who are immune-compromised already, deaths from the swine flu occur often in children. Of the 4,000 swine flu deaths since April, 540 of them have been in children.

Other stories that are closely related to the issue of the swine flu are subjects such as the vaccine for it, which has been surrounded in controversy since its creation. Most recently, a tamiflu resistant strain of H1N1 has reared its ugly head. Other non-human strains of the virus are also coming about. On November 18^th, the first death from the feline strain of the swine flu was confirmed. This brings about a whole new realm of health concerns.

The development of this story will likely be monitored by all Americans, especially those who will have the greatest chance of being affected. Since the administration of free or low cost vaccines has begun, the stories of swine flu will likely take a back seat to other issues. The issue of the swine flu will live on forever in the minds of all whom lived through the endless barrage of news and media coverage. April 24^th, 2009 is a day which will go down in history as not just another day, but a day that shook the world. Days that truly change the way or path of life are few and far between and for that reason, the swine flu scares of 2009 will likely rank among the top stories of the decade, likely shadowed only by the events of September 11^th.