Liam Donaldson has had a busy week. The UK’s chief medical officer has been appearing on television stations nationwide, giving lots of interviews and visiting Downing Street in an effort to reassure the public that the UK is well prepared for arrival of swine-flu. And in my opinion, he’s been doing a good job as a spokesperson.

Crisis management requires a swift response and the UK authorities have been prompt in their reassurance that drugs are stockpiled, vaccines are being prepared and facemasks are on order. I was particularly impressed with Donaldson’s BBC news interview as the severity of the outbreak became clear; he was calm, confident, concise, offered only facts and described the response and defence in an understandable way.

Crises, by their very nature, happen suddenly and unexpectedly, and allow little time for planning and research. It’s clear though, that the UK government are prepared for this and have been researching the possibilities for a number of years. In fact, although it wasn’t particularly reassuring, one commentator on Channel 4 news stated, “The world is overdue a flu pandemic.”

It has also been interesting to watch the technological responses to the crisis, in comparison to some of the distinctly practical responses. As scientists work overtime developing an effective vaccine, the government is preparing leaflets and facemasks. Who’d have thought, in this day and age of rapid and instant digital communication, leafleting every home in the country is still deemed the best way of reaching everybody?