Extremism in the Pursuit of Pandemic Preparedness?

A public service television announcement produced by the Ohio Department of Health shows an empty classroom and a cemetery as a narrator warns that more residents of that state died in 20th century flu pandemics than in World War I. The narrator then ominously declares that it will happen again. Viewers are encouraged to visit the state's website (which includes a link to the ad on the right sidebar) to learn more about how to prepare for a flu pandemic.

The Newark (Ohio) Advocate, while comparing the ad to movies featuring Michael Myers, questions whether the state should have used a more "measured" approach. Indeed, while most health experts agree that a pandemic flu epidemic will occur eventually, they also understand that it is impossible to predict whether such an occurrence will take place next year, the next decade, or beyond. Given the uncertainty, these tactics not only needlessly scare the citizenry, they also inculcate the sort of skepticism that will result in a lackadaisical response should the wolf truly arrive.