ABSTRACT
During May and June 2009, much of the media throughout the developed world was dominated by reports of the emergence of a swine flu pandemic. Originating in Mexico, where the death toll reached 100 by late June, early reports suggested the likelihood of a significant number of fatalities across the globe, and for several weeks TV viewers were presented with maps charting the spread of the disease. Interestingly, one thing that stood out from the maps was how little swine flu had seemingly penetrated the African continent; with the exception of South Africa, and several countries in North Africa, the TV maps showed ‘zero cases’. While some would argue that this reflected Africa’s relative isolation in a world connected by rapid air transit, a more likely explanation is that swine flu was indeed present, yet most African countries simply lack the infrastructure or capacity to monitor or record these outbreaks to the extent of developed regions. One further interesting observation was the level of media coverage, public concern and government response generated by the outbreak. The UK, for example, began stockpiling readily available antiviral drugs, and ordered enough vaccine to immunize the entire population twice over. By the end of July 2009, 36 deaths had been recorded in the UK and 353 in the USA.
