Where did swine flu go?

Whatever happened to swine flu?

The dreaded H1N1 virus has virtually dropped off the radar of the major news stations. If it were not for the signs still hanging in the bathrooms across campus, I might have even forgotten completely about the impending pandemic.

But while it might not be broadcast from our television sets or plastered on the headlines of our newspapers, it still exists and has continued to infect in increasing numbers across the world.

In fact, on Monday the United Kingdom saw the largest one-day rise since the outbreak began, at 43 new confirmed cases. To date, 64 countries have been affected by the strain, and more than 19,000 infections have been reported. All these numbers, though, mean little when only 117 people have died due to respiratory complications.

And therein lies why the media has suddenly shunned the pandemic as no longer newsworthy. Instead of flocking to get interviews and snap photos of the pestilence henchman, the news networks have passed over swine flu for stories that might have a higher death count.

It is not the impending threat that attracts readers and viewers, but it is a high number of casualties that seems to bring in the highest ratings.

Take for example Air France Flight 447, which after recently disappearing over the ocean with 228 people on board garnered immediate media attention. Though the fate of those on board did not particularly affect the citizens of the United States, it did not stop the story from being broadcast on every medium imaginable.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that no one wants to think about the threat of a pandemic when there’s a financial crisis to worry about. After all, it is easier to focus on the problems of other countries than to consider the fact that in May unemployment rose to 9.4 percent.

But, though the initial encounter with swine flu has been mild, experts believe that the strain is likely to linger and could very well grow worse.

“My biggest concern is complacency, a sense that we dodged a bullet here,” said Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a June 8 Newsday article.

And he’s right: The longer we as a nation go ignoring the threat, the worse it might get. New infections are reported every day, one of the most recent being a confirmed case and seven other possible cases in the state of Idaho.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases in Utah has jumped from 369 to 713 in just a week, according to a Deseret News article on Monday.

But regardless of the continuing number of infections, the major news networks will not return their attention to the H1N1 virus until it does something really drastic. Like a spoiled child that must throw a tantrum to get noticed, swine flu will not see a resurgence in America’s media while it stays mild and consistent.