Credit Wikipedia
# 7037
Coming as it has on the 10th anniversary of the SARS epidemic of 2003, the recent spate of novel coronavirus cases originating from the Arabian peninsula have prompted inevitable media comparisons with that infamous outbreak of a decade ago.
Both illnesses are, admittedly, caused by novel coronaviruses, have caused serious morbidity and mortality, and both appear to be of zoonotic origin.
For headline writers and journalists looking for an easily understandable and reasonably descriptive term, `SARS-Like’ is an attractive appellation.
But the World Health Organization has been quick to point out that such comparisons are both premature and potentially misleading.
Six weeks ago in, WHO: Please Don’t Call It `SARS-Like’, we looked at efforts by WHO’s Gregory Härtl on Twitter to convince the media, journalists, and bloggers not to use the term `SARS-Like’ when describing this emerging virus.
Based on the headlines over the past 24 hours (examples below) this campaign doesn’t appear to have gained much traction.
By SYDNEY LUPKIN (@slupkin)
March 27, 2013
The mysterious SARS-like virus that appears to be originating in the Middle East has claimed two more victims after people died from the infection in Germany and in Britain.
Kyle Sinclair
Mar 27, 2013 Updated Mar 27, 2013 10.55am
An Emirati man has died in Germany after contracting a new form of a virus similar to Sars.
By Associated Press, Published: March 26
BERLIN — A man from the United Arab Emirates who was infected with a new SARS-related virus has died in Munich, German authorities said Tuesday.
Despite attempts to rebrand it, `Swine Flu’ is still widely used in headlines around the globe to indicate the 2009 H1N1 virus. While public health officials may prefer the term NCoV, getting the media (and public) to stop saying `SARS-like’ is going to be difficult.
Admittedly, I use NCoV in this blog and will continue to do so (at least until a better name comes along). But I have an advantage that the mainstream media does not.
My readers are – for the most part – astute followers of infectious disease and are already familiar with the term NCoV.
For the newspaper headline writer, or journalist, asking them to substitute a term that perhaps 10% of the public recognizes for one that 90% already are familiar with is, frankly, an awfully hard sell.
Of course, comparisons between the SARS virus and this emerging coronavirus go far beyond simply using the term `SARS-like’.
Yesterday, in a widely distributed newspaper article, the South China Morning Post carried a story called:
Mysterious coronavirus, though not less infectious, has a higher mortality rate and infects many species, Hong Kong researchers find
Using qualifiers like `if it mutated further’ and `it could be more virulent than [SARS]’, this article – not unlike others we’ve seen - paints a worrisome, albeit speculative picture of this emerging virus.
The trouble is, our knowledge of this virus remains very limited.
We don’t know what animal species serves as its reservoir, how or why it is spilling over into humans, how many people have already contracted it, how it spreads from one human to the next, and how pathogenic it really is.
Which overnight led Gregory Härtl to remind the media, and others via Twitter, that it is really too soon to make informed predictions regarding this virus.
While these points are well taken, the difficulty is – nearly a year after the first outbreak (Jordan in April 2012) – we know disturbingly little about this virus.
The information coming out of the Middle East appears often to be delayed by days or even weeks, and has been noticeably lacking in detail.
The media abhors a vacuum, and with a voracious news cycle, will use whatever information is available to fill the void. While perhaps less than helpful from a public relations standpoint, media speculation over the threat this virus poses is certainly not beyond the pale.
I’m certain memories of the early tabloidization of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic still weigh heavily on public health officials around the world.
It raised the public’s expectations for seeing a severe pandemic, and then left many believing that governments and health officials `cried wolf’.
So, while I fully appreciate and sympathize on the desire to `set the record straight’, it truly is a Sisyphean task. Attempts to substitute - `It’s too soon to speculate’ – as a meme, have a low probability of success.
The only `cure’ for these types of stories is more and better information on this virus.
And that can only come about through the complete cooperation and transparency of those countries where this virus currently resides.
Something the WHO is actively seeking, as evidenced by the following requests included in recent WHO NCoV updates:
Based on the current situation and available information, WHO encourages all Member States (MS) to continue their surveillance for severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) and to carefully review any unusual patterns. WHO is currently working with international experts and countries where cases have been reported to assess the situation and review recommendations for surveillance and monitoring.
All MS are reminded to promptly assess and notify WHO of any new case of infection with nCoV, along with information about potential exposures that may have resulted in infection and a description of the clinical course.
News Editor
