Take precautions but don't panic

Concern. Not alarm.

The important distinction was emphasized by President Obama as he addressed the fears mounting over the weekend regarding an outbreak of swine flu that paralyzed Mexico City.

To some Americans, the sudden appearance of a potential new plague may have a too-familiar ring. Many remember the false alarm in the 1970s of the first swine flu scare. The long-forecast arrival of the bird flu virus has yet to appear. Even the 2003 outbreak of SARS, which hit China hardest, did not prove to be the devastating pandemic that many health officials feared.

Indeed, the very word pandemic seems fast to be taking on the cloak of myth, an unfortunate development inasmuch as a global spread of swine flu would indeed be devastating both to life and the crippled world economy.

The threat, in short, is real. A city of 20 million people virtually ground to a halt in less than a week. It doesn't take a scientific genius to imagine what could happen, or how fast, if the virus began spreading rapidly.

Already, the strain is being blamed for sickening hundreds of students and staff at three New York schools, At least five states have confirmed outbreaks, and worldwide cases have been confirmed in at least Britain, Israel, Canada, Spain and New Zealand. The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control says the U.S. can expect hospitalizations and even deaths.

So concern is indeed called for. It's important that people practice good hygiene and monitor their health and that of their families, friends and neighbors. If people come to school or work feeling ill, they should be sent home immediately.

But alarm is not called for.

Not only do we have the experiences of swine flu, bird flu and SARS to remind us of the frequent pointlessness of panic, we can also readily see the dangers of letting fear overwhelm common sense. When SARS fears struck China in 2003, much of Asia's economy shut down in less than a month, BusinessWeek magazine recalled this week. Throughout the continent, businesses suffered huge losses, which also spread to Europe and North America.

Yet, even in Asia, BusinessWeek notes, the depth of the SARS threat was "overblown," and fear of the disease may well have caused more damage than the disease itself.

Obama's spokesman said Tuesday the U.S. government is doing "prudent planning" - starting with a request for $1.5 billion - to address the potential epidemic. For now, the disease seems to be getting the kind of serious attention from the government and public health agencies that its potential for great harm calls for.

In the sudden crush of newspaper, radio, television and online stories about swine flu, it's tempting to respond emotionally - either in fear of the grave threat or disdain that we've heard these cries of wolf before.

The better response is to recognize rationally that a serious threat exists but one that bears reasoned, careful management, both by public agencies and by individuals.

Not alarm. Concern.