There is no news like bad news is a phrase generations of journalistic colleagues have succumbed to as medias moguls pursue notional readership targets , politicians exploit misfortune to garner illusory voter loyalty, and others rush to make cheap points out of a sense of frustration with life in general.
The news that Teresa Romero, the first person to contract Ebola, had tested negative to recent blood tests -and despite ongoing complications -, appeared to be cured of the disease has been given considerably less coverage than the global blast of alarm and protest that followed her initial diagnosis.
Of course, the event does not take away from the fact that in Africa over 4,500 people have died of Ebola and numbers continue to increase on that continent, a tragedy that one again should stir the moral conscience of more advanced countries that have yet to face up to the glaring injustice of third world poverty in our globalised economy. Nor should one easily forget that Teresa may have been the result of failings in protocol and safety which should not be part of a national health system in a democratic state that takes the welfare of its citizens seriously.
And yet surely Ms Romero’s cure should not only be a cause of celebration but also of detailed coverage as to how the Spanish doctors treating her and the other specialists around the world advising them have managed it, and what lessons could be learnt and applied to where help is most needed now and in the future.
All too often the medical profession are crucified by public opinion because of their alleged failings. But the great majority of doctors and nurses and other medical staff in national health systems like Spain and the UK’s are hugely dedicated professionals, in some instances unsung heroes deserving of our respect and appreciation-and the good news story.
