theSun | TUESDAY MAY 12 2009 13

speak up!

Flip side of flu name

by Joseph Masilamany
IT was a telling moment, when
the worldwide Influenza A
(H1N1) – a genetic make-up
combining the human, bird
and swine flu viruses, hit the
headlines in late April.
Not surprisingly, news of
the outbreak gained astound-
ing traction in every corner of
the world.
Besides the science of influ-
enza detailed in the cesspool
of television footages and
print journalism – there was
something not right about the
way the new strain was named
and re-named. And polemics
over this misnomer is still
infectiously being debated by
scientists.
It is swine flu! No, no, it is
not! It is A (H1N1) from now
on. Will the name change by
the World Health Organisation
(WHO) five days after it was
first identified as “swine flu”
bring bacon back to the table?
So who first said that it was
“swine flu”? Who else, if not
the media? Of course the likely
institution to be blamed will be
the media. This is not some-
thing new, as the media point-
edly gets blamed for someone
else’s goof, especially if the goof
is one big blunder, causing red
faces in high places.
But still, as to how the
outbreak came to be tagged as
“swine flu” is as mysterious as
to where the A (H1N1) itself
originated from.
Try mulling this; journalists
attending the first press confer-
ence announcing the outbreak,
obviously must have been told
that it was “swine flu”. Other-
wise how could so many news
channels and newspapers all
end up calling it “swine flu”
and that too, all at the same
time in a concerted fashion?
When gathering news,
every reporter begins with the
– what, where, when, why and
how of the story. And “what” is
the first element in the report-
er’s story framework.
And “swine flu” is the an-
swer to the “what” of the story
“It’s a flu virus from a swine,
there’s no other name to call it.”
The scientist who developed
the 1976 swine flu vaccine,
retired professor of New York
Medical College, Dr Edwin
D. Kilbourne called the idea of
in this instance. Was the term for scientific accuracy? Or was it A preliminary analysis shows changing the name an “absurd
“swine flu” plucked from thin a “compromise” to ease pressure that the closest genetic parents position”.
air by the journalists? from the pork industry or pork are swine flu strains from North “The name ‘swine flu’ has
An old adage says: “News exporting countries? Or both? America and Eurasia, Rabadan specific meaning when it comes
travels fast.” But no more in An Associated Press (AP) wrote in a scientific posting in a to stimulating antibodies in the
a world of satellite television, report pointed out that many European surveillance network. body and should not be ‘tinkered
where news travels “even fast- leading experts believe that no “Scientifically this is swine with’, said Kilbourne.
er” and so the world got quickly matter what anyone calls it – the virus,” top virologist Dr Richard So what’s in a name? Plenty,
conditioned to connecting the virus that is making the rounds Webby told AP. Webby is a re- if it is “swine flu”. Will the name
It’s a flu
outbreak to pigs although till is pretty much “all pig” although searcher at St Jude’s Children’s change ease public fear of pork? virus from
now – there are no sick pigs the US and the WHO are taking Research Hospital in Memphis. Possibly, but what is important is a swine,
(save for the human to swine the “swine” out of “swine flu”. He is also director of the WHO the public be given transparent there’s
infection in Alberta, Canada), “Six of the eight genetic seg- Collaborating Centre for Stud- and up-to-date progress about no other
dead pigs nor sick birds or dead ments of this strain are purely ies on the Ecology of Influenza research on the virus.
ones, but only sick humans and swine and the other two seg- Viruses in Lower Animals and It is indeed malicious to name to
52 dead infected patients. ments are bird and human but Birds. tinker with science. call it.”
But as swine flu “it came to have lived in swine (the mixing Another expert, described the The more people know about – Henry
stay” and the whole world went bowl for genetic interaction) for current strain as “deadly swine what they are dealing with, the Niman,
on piggish overdrive. Egypt decades,” Dr Raul Rabadan, a flu”. Henry Niman, president of less they will fear. Simply put, president
culled 3,000 pigs and some professor of computational biol- Recombinomics, an American what is scientifically correct, of Recom-
countries banned the import of ogy at Columbia University told company that tracks how viruses must also remain politically binomics.
pork and pork products, from AP. evolve, bluntly told the media: correct!
the United States and Mexico.
This caused consumers to
be wary of eating pork. The
pork industry became nervous
of the impending trade losses
and sent out an SOS.
As is the case when goofs
and gaffes happen – the dam-
age control department was
cranked into life with the WHO
and the Food and Agricultural
organisation repeatedly issuing
statements that the term “swine
flu” is misleading and is caus-
ing an unjustified clampdown
on the pork trade.
WHO director-general
Margaret Chan emphasised it
is safe to eat pork, insisting that
there is “no reason why people
who love pork should stop eat-
ing it now.”
Bernard Vallet, director-
general of the Paris-based
International Epizootic Office
(OIE), told the media that the
virus contains a “three-in-one
component” of human, bird and
swine strains, and therefore it
should not be called swine flu.
Will not the sudden change
in name, arouse suspicion?
Was the name changed purely

letter
letters@thesundaily.com

Teach vandals
to be responsible
VANDALISM has been the scourge of our society for years and I don’t
see it ebbing away but only getting worse if no action is taken by the
authorities to catch, punish and educate these misfits.
About two months ago, the Seremban Municipal Council (MPS)
beautified the small children’s playground in my housing estate of
Seremban Forest Heights Phase 1. They replaced all the equipment
with new ones and built a jogging track for small children. However,
irresponsible people have damaged some of the new equipment.
Not satisfied with the damage to the equipment, they even set fire
to plants nurtured by two residents who had since last year tirelessly
beautified the area on their own.
Some residents of my housing estate have an idea who these
vandals could be as they have seen a few youngsters from a neigh-
bouring housing estate loitering around the playground in the evening
until dark.
The other problem affecting the residents are the drains which are
clogged with sand and stagnant water. A few weeks ago, one of my
neighbour’s wife had dengue fever and the health department came
over to fog the whole neighbourhood.
The MPS must be pro-active and have some of its officers visit
housing estates to see for themselves what is needed to be done in
terms of repairs and beautification.
There are trees that need trimming, roads re-surfaced with lines
drawn and abandoned vehicles to be towed away in housing estates.
Please don’t only expect residents to pay their rates on time. It must
reciprocate by looking into their valid complaints.
I have reported to the council about the damage to the new equip-
ment and the clogged drains. There are more complaints but I will
leave it at that and wait for the council’s response. Let’s hope prompt
action will be taken.

Michael Ng
Seremban