Kudos to Mayor Mike for his out-in- front efforts to combat what could be this autumn’s most dangerous epidemic: fear of swine flu.
In the face of hyped-up predictions of disaster from the expected return of the H1N1 virus this flu season, City Hall has unveiled its program for combating the virus — and made clear that life will go on as usual.
Notably, Schools Chancellor Joel Klein announced that the city is significantly limiting the circumstances under which schools will be closed to contain the virus: A school shutdown will be an option of last resort — and only in response to a wider-than-expected outbreak.
That won’t please everybody, but it seems entirely appropriate.
After all, as Bloomberg pointed out, evidence from outbreaks around the world suggests that the coming H1N1 strain is likely to be mild.
There’s no reason to believe that H1N1 vaccinations (which the city will be providing as soon as possible) plus common-sense hygiene won’t do the trick.
One expects that, should the disease prove more virulent, Team Bloomberg can adapt.
Yet the mayor clearly understands that undue caution has serious consequences.
During the last outbreak, as Mike noted, the “worried well” flooded the city’s emergency rooms, draining resources from the truly sick. And school closures put kids’ learning on hold and created headaches for working parents.
Swine flu may be new, but the overall problem is nothing exotic: The old-fashioned flu kills more than 1,000 New Yorkers in an average year.
Mike & Co. need to walk a fine line between keeping the city safe and discouraging panic.
So far, so good.