Sept. 1 Daily News editorial

When news of a fast-spreading new strain of swine flu broke last April, the challenge for government health officials here and around the world was to alert the public to the virus’ dangerous potential without inciting panic. They succeeded, thanks in part to the fact that swine flu failed to live up to its deadly potential over the warm spring and summer months.

With many children returning to school this week and the traditional flu season just a couple of months away, health officials are gearing up for a second wave of the strain formally known as 2009 H1N1 flu. This time, it seems health officials must battle public complacency.

According to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, just one in eight Americans is very worried that swine flu will affect his or her family, with more than twice as many expressing no concern at all. Overall, Washington Post writer Jon Cohen reports, the poll found that more than six in 10 Americans are not worried.

Certainly, there’s no cause for alarm. In fact, there are some hopeful indications regarding the coming flu season. Associated Press medical writer Lauran Neergaard reports that genetic tracking shows no sign yet that the virus is mutating into a harsher strain. Even with no vaccine available, Neergaard writes, winter in the Southern Hemisphere is coming to an end without the havoc doctors had feared. The swine flu hasn’t been any deadlier there than the typical winter flu. Most of those infected recover without medical treatment, and the symptoms have been mild for many.

Given the global experience with this flu strain to date, it’s easy to see why so many Americans express little concern about the pandemic. Being largely worry-free is fine — so long as citizens follow health officials’ common-sense instructions of how best to combat the spread of swine flu. This includes regular and thorough hand washings, taking care to sneeze into your elbow and, most critical, staying home if you feel sick, for at least 24 hours after a fever disappears.

These precautions are very important, particularly over the next few weeks. Children are major spreaders of flu and, already, some elementary schools across the nation are reporting small clusters of ailing students. The vaccine now under development may help combat the spread of swine flu this fall and winter to some extend. But it won’t be available until sometime in October.

In the meantime, the best and only defense against this new H1N1 strain involves following the good hygiene advice of health officials and, should you become ill, staying home to avoid infecting others. Everyone has to do their part. As Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said at a recent press conference, “The government can’t do this on its own.”