Published: 17/07/2009
The Public Health Ministry's decision to suspend its daily updates - in favour of a weekly report - on the situation regarding the spread of type-A H1N1 flu in the country has raised doubts over the intended merits of such an action. Instead of preventing public confusion, the ministry's decision to control the information by delaying its flow is more likely to add to public anxiety, if not worsen the fear already spreading among a large number of people.
It is true that reports about the spread of flu infection and its fatality rate have caused a lot of concern among the people. The health authorities will need to have some control over the information to ensure that people are informed about the situation and know how to protect themselves from the dangers.
However, this certainly cannot be achieved through the suppression of information and the censorship of its content before bulletins are sent out to the public.
Like many other countries in the world, Thailand is now facing one of the severest health threats in its history. To fight this challenge, everyone concerned - not just medical personnel or those with state authority - must be fully equipped with the information and knowledge needed to be able to deal with the situation, so as to protect themselves and prevent the disease from spreading.
The mentality that the state knows best - that people should be given only such information which the authorities believe is suitable for them - must be changed if the current attempt to fight this deadly flu is to succeed. Instead of withholding information and sending out only what they believe people need to hear, the Public Health Ministry and state agencies concerned must join hands to create a system which ensures that accurate information is promptly accessible to the public.
The government will need to admit that its information mechanism has not been effective. The system needs a major overhaul to improve efficiency.
Up till now, state health personnel have continued sending out seemingly conflicting reports about the flu, leaving a large number of people confused about its severity and the dangers the H1N1 virus poses. While attempts should be made to avoid creating confusion in delivering their messages to the public, it is also necessary that policy-makers keep the people fully informed about the disease and the measures that are being undertaken by the state to ensure their safety.
But this did not seem to be the case when top officials discussed the vaccine they are reportedly importing to fight the flu. While revealing the government's plan to import vaccines and also to produce local vaccines, officials concerned appeared unwilling to discuss any negative aspects. With the arrival of vaccines yesterday to kick-start large-scale production locally, only one official - Dr Vichai Chokewiwat of the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation - publicly admitted that the product had yet to go through clinical trials and that there were risks involved. This happened only after the World Health Organisation came out a day earlier to warn the world of this fact. In her own words, WHO chief Margaret Chan told Britain's Guardian newspaper: "Having a vaccine available is not the same as having a vaccine that has proven safe."
With the same life-threatening health crisis hanging over us all, the Thai people certainly deserve to be fully informed in a straightforward and unhindered manner. The weekly update of the flu situation is, therefore, not the right approach and needs to be promptly reviewed.
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