Vaccination fever mounts

The first school in Vienna has been closed due to swine flu. Psychologically this is a good thing, as it will motivate those who have until now hesitated to have their children vaccinated, writes the daily Die Presse: "Why vaccinate when not even most doctors - or even most health ministers - think it's necessary? Under such circumstances the vaccination sourpusses will never stop stressing that they don't belong to a risk group. But then again, logic doesn't have much place in an emotional topic like this. Just like with speculation over shares, here too above all psychology plays a determining role. In times of great uncertainty small impulses are enough to start a mass movement - be it from share packages in the economy or worried parents in the case of the swine flu. Without going on about conspiracy theories, it must be said that even a pharmaceutical industry strategist couldn't have come up with a better measure than this school closure."

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