why people are ever more sceptical of scientists

In a characteristically provocative piece in The Times on 14^th January  Simon Jenkins wrote about the hyperbole about the potential swine flu pandemic with Sir Liam Donaldson asserting that 65.000 could die and the World Health Organization declaring a “six-level alert”. .. pure, systematic government-induced panic – in which I accept that the media played its joyful part.”

 

The death rate has been below the normal death rate expected of seasonal flu, 360 deaths to date. Jenkins points to officially induced scares over BSE and Sars - you can read more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/14/swine-flu-elusive-as-wmd

 

He also points out that MRSA and C-difficile killed 10,000 in Britain in 2007 alone and goes on “But those deaths lay squarely at the doors of unclean NHS hospitals. Hence there were no scary stories or predictions about them from Donaldson.”

 

Governments may seek to divert attention; commercial interests may be at work too

 

Simon Jenkins writes “The Council of Europe's head of health, Wolfgang Wodarg, is one of the few who have dared blow the whistle on the links between "Big Pharma" and national and ­supranational agencies. He this week persuaded the council to stage a debate on the "enormous gains" made by GSK and others from the swine flu pandemic. He seeks details of relations between the companies and the WHO, given that stockpile contracts kick in the moment that ­organisation uses the word "pandemic". It did so for the first time last year, with reckless alacrity.”

 

His conclusion is sobering