Rush is ticked because everybody told him to be afraid of swine flu, and now it turns out that as pandemics go, the current strain of swine flu is probably less like a category 3 hurricane, and more like a category 1 or tropical storm. So what does Rush do? He blames the scientists:

We are the targets of lies, damn lies and science and scientists are rapidly becoming as trustworthy as politicians.

Actually, at first it was hard to say how dangerous H1N1 was going to be. Lots of rapid-fire research had to be conducted; the scientists were working their butts off to protect us, and to clarify the picture. Sure, there was some exaggeration, especially from the press–but what do you expect in such a situation of fear and uncertainty?

But Rush doesn’t get the whole uncertainty thing; he speaks, idiotically, of a “phony swine flu virus.” Ask the people who died of swine flu whether it was phony.

The point, which scientists understand but which Rush apparently does not, is that whenever we have a new strain we need to be worried about it–and even if we were relatively lucky with the current strain of swine flu, we are not always going to dodge the bullet.

That Rush uses swine flu to beat up on scientists in this way just shows how little he understands of science–how difficult it is to conduct in real time with lives at stake, and how important it is to ensuring our public health and safety.

Fear over H1N1 swine flu has subsided after climaxing late last week, when we didn’t know what to expect. On Wednesday, the pandemic threat level rose to 5 just before my flight from Oakland to New York.  Several passengers sported face masks during the tense ride.

But as my co-blogger already described, the atmosphere in New York City the next day felt unexpectedly calm. Residents clamored about their days normally and Chris and I quickly forgot any anxiety we arrived with.  A few days later I find myself in Boston, and he has already hit DC and Pittsburgh.  Life goes on, and the planet continues to turn with barely so much as a wobble from the flu.

At this point, the early analyses suggest the new strain is relatively mild.  For terrific coverage of the disease without spin, visit Aetiology and Effect Measure.  In short, it appears that maybe we got lucky this time.  Still, H1N1 also reminds us of the possibility of a dangerous global pandemic.  Sure, it’s the stuff of media porn, but the threat is very real–even with 21st century medicine and technology. The swine flu scare demonstrates that it’s nearly impossible to predict new strains of the flu virus. But we’re also not helpless when it hits, and the worldwide focus should now switch to strengthening our preparations.

In today’s era of globalization, we need to have the resources in place to deal with a pandemic situation as it arises.  We must make sure to have the capacity to generate a domestic supply of the associated vaccine as quickly as possible.  (Note: This also involves mitigating the present climate of media-propagated fear surrounding vaccines).  Furthermore, it’s vital that honest information regarding any new virus be made available to the public as quickly as possible, in a clear manner as possible to avoid widespread panic.  Easier said than done.

Fortunately, it now appears that perhaps the H1N1 swine flu was mainly a drill.  So folks, do you think we’re ready for the real test?