Let's Do What Works

It was inevitable that the fast-moving swine flu virus would emerge in Wisconsin. Now that it appears it has, health officials should try to limit its spread but also try to limit the spread of anxiety.

At least five probable cases of the flu have been found in the state, which prompted the closing of several schools in Milwaukee and led Gov. Jim Doyle to declare a public health emergency. The World Health Organization, meantime, says a pandemic could be imminent.

But please, some perspective. The annual seasonal flu is associated with about 36,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, so it's likely there will be some deaths because of swine flu. But there are hopeful signs as well. Scientists believe this strain, though worrisome, might not be as bad as feared. The virus might still mutate into a more deadly form, but for now it appears to lack the lethal capacity of past contagions.

Health officials, of course, should remain on high alert. They should close more schools or other public buildings if the facts warrant such measures. And they should keep reminding individuals to wash their hands thoroughly, cover their mouths when they cough and stay home when they are sick.

The actions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the governor and other state and local health officials seem measured and prudent.

This is not the case in other quarters, where common sense has become a casualty to political expediency.

Anti-immigration groups and some of their apologists in Congress are pushing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to close border crossings with Mexico.

Never mind that doing so would upend the robust trade between the two countries at a time of great peril for both economies. Never mind that WHO officials say containment isn't feasible, because the disease long since has leaped borders around the world. And never mind that even if it was possible to close the border, the effort would drain resources from efforts to mitigate the disease.

Instead of tilting at border fences, Congress and health officials should focus on answering the critical questions: Why is the disease so much worse in Mexico than here? Is this only the first wave? Will the virus mutate and return in a more deadly form?

Government agencies at all levels should avoid overreacting in ways that do little to fight the disease but instead waste resources and spread needless worry.

REPRINTED FROM THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL.

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