I want to highlight two very brief excerpts from a British Medical Journal article (online, Sept. 3, 2009) by Peter Doshi. The title of the article is “Calibrated response to emerging infections.” (also here).
Here is the first quote: “WHO (World Health Organization), for example, for years defined pandemics as outbreaks causing ‘enormous numbers of deaths and illness,’ but in early May, removed this phrase from the definition.”
So WHO successfully maintained the emotional punch of a “pandemic” while cutting the heart out of its essential meaning. The fear is still there, but the logic is gone. Suddenly, a dreaded pandemic doesn’t have to have lots of deaths.
Quite a clever ruse. George Orwell vindicated once again.
Read Entire Article »
Here is the first quote: “WHO (World Health Organization), for example, for years defined pandemics as outbreaks causing ‘enormous numbers of deaths and illness,’ but in early May, removed this phrase from the definition.”
So WHO successfully maintained the emotional punch of a “pandemic” while cutting the heart out of its essential meaning. The fear is still there, but the logic is gone. Suddenly, a dreaded pandemic doesn’t have to have lots of deaths.
Quite a clever ruse. George Orwell vindicated once again.
Read Entire Article »
