By late morning of Saturday 25th April there were some ecstatic messages by World Malaria Day advocates that said. “Malaria is number one search term on Twitter.” But that lasted a very short while. By mid afternoon the media started to pick up on a new announcement by WHO regarding an outbreak of swine flu that claimed the lives of over 80 persons in Mexico City and the possibility of spread to the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Quickly the attention of World Malaria Day was now turning towards a flash outbreak message by WHO regarding a potential new killer pandemic. One colleague described this day of competing messages as, “while I totally understand the reasons, it was a bit deflating. We worked very hard to get out the message regarding malaria and all of a sudden it seemed we were drowned out.”
In the statement released by the WHO Director General’s Office on Saturday 25, 2009 regarding Swine Influenza, there was no mentioned of World Malaria Day. This statement was picked up by major news outlets around the world in a matter of hours.
What is your opinion?
Do you believe this could have been an opportunity to educate the public about the urgency of the outbreak of Swine Influenza while also bringing the world’s attention to a disease that is reportedly responsible for the deaths of over one million adults and children a year?
Quickly the attention of World Malaria Day was now turning towards a flash outbreak message by WHO regarding a potential new killer pandemic. One colleague described this day of competing messages as, “while I totally understand the reasons, it was a bit deflating. We worked very hard to get out the message regarding malaria and all of a sudden it seemed we were drowned out.”
In the statement released by the WHO Director General’s Office on Saturday 25, 2009 regarding Swine Influenza, there was no mentioned of World Malaria Day. This statement was picked up by major news outlets around the world in a matter of hours.
What is your opinion?
Do you believe this could have been an opportunity to educate the public about the urgency of the outbreak of Swine Influenza while also bringing the world’s attention to a disease that is reportedly responsible for the deaths of over one million adults and children a year?
