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Updated Monday, August 31, 2009 9:22 am TWN, The China Post news staff

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Misinformation can be as dangerous as the virus

Research by Common Health Magazine found that despite wide coverage of the flu-related news, only 6.8 percent of Taiwan's people fully understand the mechanisms of transmission of the A(H1N1) virus. The A(H1N1) flu can only be transmitted through droplets or contact inflection. The virus is not transmitted through airborne means.

According to the research, more than 30 percent of people mistakenly believe that the flu is spread through airborne or droplet transmission while nearly 20 percent wrongly thought that they can be infected with A(H1N1) through the air, droplets and contact.

Research has shown the counter-intuitive yet clear truth that sometimes massive media coverage does not equal comprehensive education of the people.

This is not a uniquely Taiwanese problem. U.S. President Barack Obama, widely recognized as one of the best communicators in recent U.S. history, has found himself greatly challenged in his health care reform campaign by raging misleading information such as that his new health care bill will encourage euthanasia and sponsor abortion.

With its credibility severely eroded in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, President Ma Ying-jeou's administration is facing a crisis of confidence. The government was determined to go all out to regain its popularity, no matter the cost. The President was even quoted as saying that the post-Morakot rebuilding process has to be done ASAP “or else the government will be scolded again by the people.”

The job of the government is not to obey the wishes of the masses, or to avoid the heat of public denunciations. The government should be first and foremost the protector of the people. As the health minister, Yaung demonstrated his leadership and that he valued the people's welfare beyond his personal career by standing up to fear mongering and misinformation. However, the bravery of Yaung should not be the end of it.

If the Ma administration truly wishes to redeem itself, it should not focus only on the belated admission that it can “listen to the people” and “feel their pain,” it should take the lead in protecting people from painful disasters in the future. Sometimes that means having the courage to do the right thing, not the popular one.

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