Last Friday, the information about the influenza epidemic fell on the heads of the Ukrainian citizens even more unexpected than the information about the economic crisis in the country a year ago.
All, that was happened in informational space on this weekend and is happening now, is difficult to call otherwise as hysteria. And these developments should be subject to professional analysis, conclusions and relevant decisions for our future.
At first, it does not happen, that yesterday there was nothing, but in the morning it does an epidemic already, pandemic, etc. This raises a number of questions, the main of which is: Does Ukraine have an efficient system for collecting, processing and publication of such information? Perhaps on some paper, something we have writing, but only this "something" in practice does not work, especially in abnormal situations. Otherwise, such information could not come like a thunderbolt from a clear sky; leadership of the country, candidates and representatives of various political forces would not stir up panic with there "fire" actions; citizens would not rushed to disperse medicines in the drugstores and to disperse the products in the supermarkets, and the country would not be filled within a few hours with all sorts of rumors from “It is all PR” to “real figures are much worse”…
Influenza-2009 once again demonstrates that underestimating the role of information policy, Ukraine voluntarily makes itself from the subject to the object of the global information society, with enviable regularity losing informational battles, as domestic as external fronts. And if we will do nothing in this direction, we will drop a brick over and over.
Second, in the election conditions any events were used by participants in their favor as well as any publicity candidate is perceived by the electorate with a high degree of skepticism as their PR. Is someone like it or not, is it ethical or not – this is a secondary question: this is how it goes. Therefore, the activities of the presidential candidates and their supporters are not surprised, other things are surprising — parade of speeches-declarations-initiatives-critics, with insane speed has come down to the quiet insanity and irritation of the inability to distinguish the wheat from the chaff. I suppose, the problem is that our politicians just lost in this life, it is obvious, they sure, the more the better… This is not the fact. It was saying cannons at the war, but now it must be saying medical men. And in this context we can only support the appeal by the Minister of Health to the politicians — to fall silent. At least for one week. Wonder, what will come from this?
Third, somehow even uncomfortable to hear the naive questions countrymen about, will anyone get the benefit from this situation? Well, of course, someone will get it… It will be the politicians, and pharmacists, and even ordinary voters, who on the eve of winter and the elections had an opportunity to assess those who are responsible for their fate, not in the talk shows, but de facto. Forcing people to wear masks, influenza will unmask many of big bosses.
However, if we proceed from the golden rule, look for a positive moment in every bad news, than we will have some good news. These was created by hundreds of politicians and bureaucrats, who mobilized and coordinated national and international resource in the ultra-tight — in favor of their citizens; Thousands of medicos that day and night carry out their responsibilities and follow the Asclepiads Oath by saving millions of people who, in their turn, are civic active and who show such moral features that we can be proud of…
Yaroslav Khobta
President of Communication Group “PRT”
