Did you forget the great 2009 flu pandemic? So did I. We have all been reminded of it recently, however, by a spate of complaints from fans of the People’s Paradise that China is being treated unfairly during the Wuflu outbreak.
The gist of the complaints goes like this. The US had a flu epidemic in 2009, which was declared a Public Health Emergency and caused quite a lot of cases. But nobody was advised not to travel to the US, there were no travel restrictions, no disruption of international travel and no suggestion that people from other countries should go home.
How unlike the way our dear People’s Republic has been treated since the outbreak of Wuflu, with foreigners fleeing, visits discouraged, Chinese students sent home or told not to come back, and so on.
Racism is the most dangerous virus.
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) February 5, 2020
“When H1N1 virus broke out in the U.S. in 2009, no one called it “American virus’, When this coronavirus broke out in China, you call it ‘China virus'”, Chinese blogger calls for #coronavirus related racism and bullying to stop. pic.twitter.com/u3JTJnL4xU
If you do not remember the 2009 outbreak in the US this is not surprising. The people complaining have quietly transplanted it from Mexico, which is actually where it originated. It was commonly known as Swine Flu, leading a number of countries, including China, to restrict pork imports.
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