The swine flu outbreak is getting more interesting. I’m particularly compelled by the various trackings, especially because the cultural politics of surveillance–or lack thereof–is emerging as a critical issue. The Google Maps version is a personal favorite.
Of course, the various economic issues are fascinating as well. Have stock in Tamiflu?
The WHO is holding a scientific review tomorrow on the current outbreaks of human infection. The organization’s swine flu webpage is updated regularly, and draws together aspects such as the geography of blame, the role of genetic/genomic sequencing, and (as previously mentioned) the cultural politics/economics of sample trafficking and testing. The US CDC’s webpage is, of course, an excellent source of information and ethnographic data as well. When in doubt, there’s always the Flu Wiki.
Finally, for now, the BBC has an interesting summary of national government responses, organized by continents/world areas that are simultaneously geographical and geopolitical.
The situation is rapidly changing and there are so many aspects to follow. Certainly there are numerous avenues of information to pursue, though the popular coverage is especially interesting at this time; this is a mass-mediated almost-pandemic, after all.
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