# 1848
Late last month, just before I left for my trip to Missouri, the following article appeared in Utah's Daily Herald. It is illustrative of the mindset of a great many people in public office; the overwhelming fear of inciting public panic.
First the article, then a little discussion.
Highland cancels pandemic prep class
Caleb Warnock and Barbara Christiansen - DAILY HERALD
Highland will hold an emergency preparedness fair this weekend, but without any discussion of pandemics.
Resident Melvin Miller said he was part of a volunteer group that organized the event, and was caught by surprise when the city ordered him to cancel a presentation by the county Health Department on preparing for pandemics.
Miller said city staff told him the presentation could not happen because it would cause panic among residents.
Highland Mayor Jay Franson told the Daily Herald that the class was canceled because the presentation did not focus on families.
"The focus of the preparedness fair has been on families and personal preparedness," he said. "So the scope when you put on the pandemic and other things like that becomes a much broader issue. I think you tend to lose the focus on what families and individuals can do to prepare."
The county has been asked to talk about personal hygiene instead, he said.
This concept; that the public can't handle the truth, seems pervasive among elected officials. I hear it often, and it is an undercurrent that seems to guide many public officials in setting policy.
The idea that the Health Department would incite panic among the residents of Highland, Utah simply by discussing pandemic preparedness is both ludicrous and insulting. It smacks of elitism on the part of public officials, and is a disservice to the citizens of that community.
The truth is, pandemics happen. They've come around, on average, every 30 to 40 years, and there is no reason to believe we won't see another one in the future.
I'm not sure what the fear here really is.
Are the city fathers afraid that residents might stock up on a few weeks of food? Or maybe buy a first aid kit? Are they afraid that neighbors might band together and form a neighborhood watch? Why people might even volunteer for CERT or the American Red Cross.
Or do they imagine that, once informed of the possibility of a pandemic happening sometime in the future, that citizens will brandish pitchforks and torches and march on city hall?
I suspect the truth is, that once you admit that a pandemic is a possibility, citizens might start asking inconvenient questions. Questions that many public officials simply don't want to deal with. Questions like:
- Exactly what steps has the local community taken to prepare for a pandemic?
- Will the local hospital be able to handle the expected surge in patients?
- How will antivirals be distributed, and will there be enough for everyone who needs them?
Difficult questions that are likely to have less than pleasing answers. And that might result in a demand for action. Why, it might even affect how people vote in the next election.
No, better to ignore the threat. Discourage any discussion of the issue. Pretend it doesn't exist and pray it goes away.
Politically, a solid strategy that should work pretty well up to the time a pandemic actually occurs.
