American Exceptionalism Seeps Into CNN Report on Swine Flu

April 25, 2009 at 3:18 PM Leave a comment

(Updated below.)

At roughly 2:00 p.m. ET this afternoon, CNN’s senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen was on to report “the latest” on the Swine flu situation. She suggested that there might be a difference between the flu found in Mexico, with 1,000 victims and 60 deaths, and the flu found in the United States, with 8 victims – that would be 8 victims – and no deaths. She speculated that the U.S. strain might be milder because of the difference in the death rate between the two countries.

Tell me, how does comparing the death rate from 1,000 cases to the death rate from 8 cases lead to such a dramatic conclusion? Hey, maybe we will find that there are two (or more) strains but to suggest so at this point, based on such disparate circumstances, seems to me to be totally irresponsible and nothing but wild speculation.

One would hope we would get nothing but the facts during a situation like this. The last thing we need is for the media to start glossing things over, especially this early on. Just because we’re in the United States doesn’t mean that we’re special and the bugs that infect us are nicer than the bugs out there in the rest of the world, so let’s get rid of that notion ASAP.

Update: Swine Flu Viruses in U.S. and Mexico Match.