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It must surely be hoped that one of the outcomes of this review is to
consider the re-branding of the swine flu outbreak as a non-demic, rather
than pandemic.
The credibility of health and health services in the eyes of the
public is damaged each time we over emphasise risks and make 'big'
statements about 'damage' to health that conflicts and confuses people
based on what we were telling them last week, last month and last year.
It seems that swine flu has many things to teach us about how we
predict and respond to outbreaks, but one of these things must also be how
we 'brand' them.
Branding of swine flu 'non-demic'
It must surely be hoped that one of the outcomes of this review is to
consider the re-branding of the swine flu outbreak as a non-demic, rather
than pandemic.
The credibility of health and health services in the eyes of the
public is damaged each time we over emphasise risks and make 'big'
statements about 'damage' to health that conflicts and confuses people
based on what we were telling them last week, last month and last year.
It seems that swine flu has many things to teach us about how we
predict and respond to outbreaks, but one of these things must also be how
we 'brand' them.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests