The swine flu virus has officially come to Washington state, with 128 confirmed cases — 89 in King County, 24 in Snohomish County, as well as cases in Clark, Thurston, Skagit, Whatcom and Spokane counties — as of May 10.
Health officials on several levels deserve recognition for identifying the virus and telling the public how best to avoid it.
Locally, microbiologists at the state health lab in Shoreline continue to test probable cases of the H1N1 virus. Stevens Hospital workers are helping to limit the spread of the flu at the hospital, while doctors at a Mill Creek clinic were quick to inform patients when a physician there became ill.
On an international level, kudos to the authorities in Mexico City who noticed the first cluster of unusual deaths — no small feat in a city teeming with 20 million people.
On the flip side, jeers to the media for its constant coverage of the outbreak. It’s one thing to inform the public of something that could impact their lives; it’s quite another thing to scare everybody half to death.
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