# 2909
Crof over at Crofsblog offers some new comments on the ongoing debate of Professor Philip Alcabes’s recent Washington Post editorial on pandemic preparedness.
In Thinking about "myths of pandemic”, Crof explores the possibility that the next pandemic may not look anything like pandemics we’ve seen in the past.
The Reveres over at Effect Measure have also weighed into this discussion, with Something to fear from fear of fear [updated], where they dismantle a number of Professor Alcabes’ arguments.
Professor Alcabes has posted a longer, draft copy of his essay on his website, which you can read here.
In it, Professor Alcabes repeatedly takes on the `preparedness’ movement - equating it with `fear mongering’ - beginning with his opening paragraph:
The new watchword in public health, preparedness, signals a troubling new approach to health policy—one based on fear. As in “biopreparedness,” “emergency preparedness,” and “pandemic-flu preparedness,” preparedness marks the rhetoric of a new cold war: the expected debacle never arrives, but we must be on constant guard against it.
Professor Alcabes continually uses the word `preparedness’ in a derogatory sense in this essay – invoking phrases like `preparedness rhetoric’ and `preparedness warriors’ multiple times.
Perhaps I’ve been corrupted by my misspent youth as a Boy Scout, followed by my years as a paramedic (and worse, as a CPR instructor!) but I honestly view preparedness as a good thing.
Can threats be `oversold’?
Of course they can, and I would agree with Professor Alcabes that too often fear is used to mold public opinion, push political agendas, and justify budgetary expenditures.
That’s why I try to avoid using excess hyperbole in my writing. I find it distasteful, and counterproductive.
But there are genuine threats out there. Threats we should all be prepared for. Some, like bioterrorism, are admittedly pretty remote (but not inconceivable), and I would agree have been overstated.
Others, like earthquakes, tornadoes, and floods happen every year and affect millions of people around the world.
I would argue that personal and community preparedness – for any emergency (including a pandemic)- is not only prudent, it is imperative.
In an emergency, people need to be able to care for themselves, their families, and their neighbors until help can arrive. Depending upon the magnitude of a disaster, that wait could be hours, days, or possibly even weeks.
The idea of public preparedness isn’t about promoting fear.
It’s about instilling community confidence and resilience.
Getting people to act, however, isn’t easy.
Every year the State of Florida launches a massive preparedness campaign prior to, and during hurricane season. And every year millions of people ignore the warnings and do nothing until a storm is literally on the horizon.
In the face of public apathy, I can understand why sometimes the message becomes strident. And quite frankly, it is the media that is often to blame for over-hyping the threat.
It sells newspapers.
While Professor Alcabes makes some valid points about undo fear mongering, I would submit that he paints with too broad a brush when he demonizes the `preparedness movement’ as being bad for society.
He states - `we should keep in mind the distinction between sensible preparation on the one hand and preparedness on the other.’ – but gives us very little indication of what he believes `sensible preparation’ might be.
I accept that a solid, well funded global public health system is our best protection against any infectious disease outbreak (and have lobbied for that often in this column). And someday, I hope we see that.
But it mustn’t be our only protection.
I seriously doubt anyone would suggest that a solid and well funded fire department would ever negate the need for individuals and businesses to keep fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, and first aid kits on hand.
The strong recommendations by agencies like the HHS, FEMA, and READY.GOV that every family, and every community, be prepared to deal with emergencies and disasters (up to, and including a pandemic) are good ones.
Personally, I make no apology for promoting public preparedness.
It isn’t fear mongering. It is just common sense.
