As we watch swine flu through the rear view mirror, and our concerns begin to fade, it is easier to see it in a more proper context. I tried to do just that in my oped in USA Today.

Even as we turn our attention to the southern hemisphere, and watch via the World Health Organization FluNet tracking system for the extent of the virus over the winter, I can’t help but comment on the WHO handling of the Pandemic Alert System as it applies to the swine flu outbreak.

The problem is that the current alert system was put in place in 2005 in reaction to the Avian Flu scare. Of course a tracking system in response to a scare has a built in tendency for overreaction. I don’t have a problem with the notion that level 5 involves sustained transmission of a new flu strain from person to person in 2 countries in the same region. Nor do I have a problem with the idea that a full pandemic (a scare term which is too vague to be descriptive) involves a sustained outbreak in different regions of the world. What I do have a problem with is the lack of statistics —number of cases and number of deaths don’t factor in. So it is possible to have a pandemic with only a few thousand cases. Where would the Bubonic Plague or the Spanish Flu, diseases which killed many millions of people, fit on a pandemic alert scale where a relatively small outbreak of Swine Flu is already listed near the worst possible ranking?

Not only that, but these pandemic alerts are used by the U.S. and other countries as a justification to divert needed health resources from other essential medical problems to the fear of pandemics. Sometimes that is justified, but often it isn’t. Keep in mind that Tamiflu and vaccines (which are stockpiled and then mobilized in anticipation of a pandemic), are perishable. We have already discarded hundreds of thousands of doses of unused smallpox and anthrax vaccines. How much excess expensive Tamiflu will we also discard when it expires?

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News medical contributor and writes a health column for the LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear“ and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic.”  Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com

If swine flu weren’t such a serious problem, I would have found it humorous when pork companies began demanding that we change the name of the virus to H1N1. People without a vested interest in pork might also consider that a good idea from the point of view of decreasing fear (pigs are slimy ugly creatures that make loud scary noises), until they discover that H1N1 was also the designation of the 1918 Spanish flu that killed over 50 million people worldwide.

Speaking of flu fears fed by the specter of 1918, have a look at my oped in Monday’s NY Post. I also want to provide you some with some flu-prevention tips:

• Wash your hands often and don’t cough or sneeze on people or wipe your hands on common surfaces — not because of swine flu, but to prevent the spread of any respiratory virus.
• If you are suffering from lethargy, high fever, muscle aches, headache, sore throat or nausea, call your physician. He or she can help you determine if you need to be tested for flu. Do not go to your local emergency room with mild or moderate symptoms because our ERs are already becoming clogged with patients with colds and allergies.
• If you are one of the rare people who have had contact with an actual case or possible case of swine flu, also contact your physician.
• Listen to public health announcements coming from our federal, state, and local officials, but consider that they may also see their role as describing the worst case scenario. Learn to diffuse the language of fear. Risk assessment needs to be rational. Be reassured that this appears to be a weak virus, that it is not spreading rapidly, and mostly that it doesn’t seem to be very deadly.
• Isolating sick people and their contacts is the best way to contain an emerging virus, not to quarantine entire regions. It is doubtful that travel restrictions will help at this point, and closing the border may be counterproductive, as panicked sick people will likely try to escape (as has occurred historically).

Dr. Marc Siegel is an internist and associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine. He is a FOX News medical contributor and writes a health column for LA Times, where he examines TV and movies for medical accuracy. Dr. Siegel is the author of “False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear“ and “Bird Flu: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Pandemic.”  Read more at www.doctorsiegel.com