Swine Flu, Science, and You

The H1N1 flu is here, hospitalizations and deaths continue to rise. Public health priorities are at odds with personal medical decisions. For example, who should get the new flu vaccine, and who, showing signs of illness, should be tested to see whether they actually have H1N1? While scientists unravel the workings of the new flu, policy decisions can't wait. The fact that a vaccine exists at all is a triumph of science, but scared or ill people don't always see it that way. Then again, even scared people often don't take common sense precautions like washing hands with soap and water, or staying home when ill. What would you change about how to deal with the H1N1 flu pandemic?

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