Waiting for Bird Flu

You can look at the top ten public health stories of 2006 for the US below, and not find a trace of Bird Flu.

1. AHA Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations Revised
2. Guidelines Updated for Mumps Immunization
3. High Carb, Low Glycemic Index Diet Best to Reduce CV Risk
4. CDC Recommends HIV Testing and Screening in Routine Clinical Care
5. Calcium Plus Vitamin D May Not Reduce Hip Fracture or Colorectal Cancer Risk
6. CDC Updates Guidelines for Immunization Against Hepatitis B Virus Infection
7. Fat-Reduced Diet May Not Reduce Risk for Cancer or Cardiovascular Disease
8. Guidelines Updated on Secondary Prevention for Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease
9. Children May Need 90 Minutes of Physical Activity Per Day
10. New Guidelines Issued for Beverage Classification and Consumption

Sadly for Bird Flu, it did not even make it to the top ten "junk science" list of 2006. What does an over-hyped medical story need to do to get some respect? At least bird flu made it to #24 of the Discover top science stories of 2006. But the Discover blurb on Bird Flu was merely to explain why bird flu was not the global pandemic that all the newspapers and "science" blogs predicted it would be.

There are several emerging viruses that have the potential to mutate or recombine into pandemic killer viruses. This has always been true. It is the job of the CDC to remain vigilant to influenza transmission and infection worldwide, to advise governments, medical authorities, and vaccine makers how to prepare for the next six months or so. Meanwhile, viral surveillance and research into new vaccines is proceeding apace, just as it would do without all the hype.

In March University of Wisconsin virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka looked for H5N1 receptors in the human respiratory tract and found them only deep within the lungs, on the tiny air sacs through which oxygen passes into blood. That deep location would make it difficult for an infected person to spread the avian flu virus through coughing or sneezing.

Source.

Science, including medical science, is too complex for most journalists to understand. Journalism students are typically among the least competent and least intelligent students in university. Paradoxically, journalists act as public filters of science, and magnifying glasses--selecting the stories the public will hear, often inflating selected stories to incredible size and significance. Such was the case with bird flu.

Why do the public and many bloggers fall for media hype of science and medicine, time after time--without catching on? Waiting for bird flu. Waiting for climate catastrophe. Waiting for Godot. Actually, the list of catastrophes the media would have us wait for is much longer. But the public has a short attention span for almost everything except faux catastrophe. They would rather wait, thanks.