Programs A-Z

H1N1: The Local Response

Monday, December 14, 8:00 and 9:00 pm
Rebroadcast Wednesday, December 16, 7:00 and 8:00 pm

It’s deadly and unpredictable. Yet even with enormous media attention, a large number of Americans are still confused and divided over what they should do, if anything, to protect themselves from H1N1, the virus commonly known as the swine flu.

Ray SuarezOn Monday, December 14th at 8:00 pm KCPT joined with the PBS NewsHour for a two-hour primetime special that sifts through all the conflicting information, provides up-to-date analysis of the medical risks and evaluates the public health response to this misunderstood virus.

In the first hour, Newshour correspondent Ray Suarez reports from the frontlines of the effort to combat the pandemic. Anatomy of a Pandemic takes you inside the federal vaccination headquarters and state command and control centers to big hospital emergency rooms where the biggest wave of H1N1 cases has been appearing.

The program contextualizes the current outbreak with pandemics of the past, including the 1918 influenza pandemic that caused nearly 100 million deaths worldwide and a 1976 government-mandated vaccine program that was shut down due to dangerous side effects. 

Host Ray Suarez also takes you through the science of influenza, the development of the current H1N1 vaccine, next generation vaccine techniques and the quest to create a universal vaccine.

Nick HainesIn the second hour, KCPT’s Nick Haines hosted, H1N1: The Local Response. This live one-hour call in program featured regional medical and scientific experts. While there have been complaints that local news coverage of H1N1 has been too sensationalistic, did our area health agencies over-exaggerate or under-prepare for this viral threat? Nick Haines leads a careful review of the metro’s response and the efforts to fairly and effectively distribute the short-supply of H1N1 vaccine.

Throughout the broadcast, viewers can expect the most reliable and objective information on the status of the outbreak and what they should know to protect themselves and their families.

 

Production funding provided by:

 

Blue Cross Blue  

 

Additional support provided by:

The University of Kansas Hospital Shawnee Mission Medical Center