Category Archives: swine flu

Has our response to swine flu gone over the top? Maybe, maybe not…

June 25, 2009 – 2:35 pm

Given the relative mildness of swine flu, has Australia’s response been appropriate?
It’s a worthy question that will, no doubt, be debated for some time.
In the journal Rural and Remote Health, Dr Alexander Hamilton, a senior resident medical officer at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, puts forward one view. While many believe the response has been [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Hospitals, influenza | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

Want to help track swine flu?

May 25, 2009 – 10:45 am

Dr Craig Dalton, a Public Health Physician and Conjoint Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, is looking for people to help with an innovative flu-tracking initiative using social media. He writes:
The Federal Health Department has raised Australia’s pandemic alert level to CONTAIN. There are now cases occurring without any overseas travel or contact with [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Media-related issues | Tagged , | Comments (1)

On swine flu and the media

May 4, 2009 – 6:59 pm

The Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma has published this tipsheet for responsible reporting on the swine flu, compiled by Times-Picayune health reporter John Pope.
The tips are fairly straightforward; the only one likely to raise eyebrows suggests avoiding terms such as “epidemic”.
This tips says: “Watch your language. People are already anxious, so don’t make the [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in Journal articles, Media-related issues, global health, influenza | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Staying up to date on swine flu

April 29, 2009 – 12:30 pm

Anyone can sign up for email updates here from the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US.
Don’t be deceived by the title – the updates are coming fast and furious.
But let’s just keep some sense of perspective; at this stage, the numbers of deaths are miniscule [...]

By Croakey | Also posted in infectious diseases, influenza, poverty, public health | Tagged , , | Comments (0)