PARIS: Inflamed by past scares and Hollywood disaster blockbusters, few things feed collective panic like a virus, experts said on Thursday, as China locked down the epicentre of a deadly flu-like outbreak. The outbreak has so far claimed 25 lives across China, with new cases reported in several Asian countries and the United States. Science historian Laurent-Henri Vignaud said popular culture plays an underappreciated role in conditioning populations to fear pandemics. “Health authorities need to find the balance between providing transparent information to the community without causing panic,” she said. The modern-day fear of a pandemic – a truly global killer – stems from globalisation, according to Vignaud.

Source: New Strait Times January 24, 2020 03:22 UTC