The virus spin running out of control

The World Wide Web supposedly makes life considerably easier for journalists writing against deadlines just a few hours ahead. Whatever the subject, they now have clear, accurate, topical information at their fingertips. Why, then, did it take some reporters days rather than hours to discover key facts about foot and mouth disease (FMD) when it erupted in Britain in February? Is the Internet not so reliable after all, or are they not using it? Daily scrutiny of the coverage actually suggests that journalists are not yet flying to web-sites for guidance on topics of this sort. Judging by the quantity of 'quoted' material, they still largely depend on interviews with experts (even for textbook facts, let alone opinions). And some do not ask the right questions. In consequence many of the many FMD articles over the past three months have been spotty mixtures. They have combined up-to-date commentary, on aspects such as the numbers of animals affected and the impact on farming and tourism, with inadequate explanation of the underlying science. The saga began on 20 February, when scientists at the World Reference Laboratory for Foot and Mouth Disease at Pirbright found that samples from an abattoir in Brentwood were positive for FMD virus. This proved to be the pandemic serotype O virus (the PanAsia strain) which has spread in recent years from India into Saudi Arabia and hence into Europe, China, Russia, Mongolia, South Africa and several other regions. Investigators traced the virus detected on 20 February to infected pigs on a farm in Northumberland. Thereafter it moved rapidly and within three weeks there were over 200 outbreaks around the country. By then, the Ministry of Agrculture had taken extensive actions based on its policy of 'containment and slaughter'. No-one mentioned that FMD virus is one of the most infectious microorganisms known to mankind Newspapers and television screens began to show burning pyres of dead livestock, together with interviews with key people such as Agriculture Minister Nick Brown and National Farmers Union President Ben Gill. There was news of restrictions on the movements of animals and people, closures of zoos, parks and farms, the curtailment of major sporting events and panic buying of meat in supermarkets. For at least a week, however, no-one bothered to explain the basics. These are that FMD is an acute, feverish condition of pigs and wild and domesticated cattle, sheep, goats, deer and other …