Unmasking the reality

It is a danger signal that the masks in Chengdu sold out soon after the first case of A (H1N1) flu was confirmed. This is a warning that we should pay more attention to the stockpile of epidemic prevention materials, says an article in Modern Express. Excerpt:

After the mainland's first case of A (H1N1) flu was confirmed in Chengdu, this city has become a "storm center" on the issue of preventive measures. It is reported that the Chengdu Infectious Disease Hospital, which took charge of the first flu patient, has declined to entertain any "irrelevant visitor" to the hospital, including journalists. Outside, in the streets of Chengdu, citizens rushed to buy masks, which resulted in the masks getting sold out in some local pharmacies.

To take the issue of visitors, although discouraging them is understandable, it would be unwise to bar journalists. Media can be effective in dispelling the public's fear of infectious disease hospitals, and encourage those infected to report to the local hospital by their coverage of the patient's treatment. It is unreasonable to cut off such a favorable channel of communication.