I would like to appeal to the Government of Singapore to bring back the count of H1N1 victims.
8 people have died. 11 are in intensive care.
One of them has no medical history.
Without the figures, people with flu are callous, or more politically correct, ignorant of their impact on others.
Most importantly, the spread of H1N1 or any other flu, is exponential. A person with H1N1 coughs and sneezes. The released virus, millions of them, linger in the air. Those who go to the doctor's clinic are exposed to the virus. Not sick, may become sick.
Mass events are coming. Events like National Day. Without a sense of the figures, people may not be aware of the spread of the disease. That it is exponential is without a doubt, given the nature of the disease and the WHO's classification of the situation as a pandemic. But people remained ignorant.
And ignorance breeds lack of precaution - for themselves and for others.
It is not the fact that the young and healthy are not at risk that is significant. It is the fact that these young and healthy have children of their own, parents of their own - who will be at risk.
Keeping an official count is good.
It set the trend that figures of national and world importance are reported to the public.
Otherwise it will set the reverse trend, that figures of national and world importance will not be reported to the public.
8 people have died. 11 are in intensive care.
One of them has no medical history.
Without the figures, people with flu are callous, or more politically correct, ignorant of their impact on others.
Most importantly, the spread of H1N1 or any other flu, is exponential. A person with H1N1 coughs and sneezes. The released virus, millions of them, linger in the air. Those who go to the doctor's clinic are exposed to the virus. Not sick, may become sick.
Mass events are coming. Events like National Day. Without a sense of the figures, people may not be aware of the spread of the disease. That it is exponential is without a doubt, given the nature of the disease and the WHO's classification of the situation as a pandemic. But people remained ignorant.
And ignorance breeds lack of precaution - for themselves and for others.
It is not the fact that the young and healthy are not at risk that is significant. It is the fact that these young and healthy have children of their own, parents of their own - who will be at risk.
Keeping an official count is good.
It set the trend that figures of national and world importance are reported to the public.
Otherwise it will set the reverse trend, that figures of national and world importance will not be reported to the public.
