Saturday, June 06, 2015

Of Sensationalism and Tragedy

A few words on Ella Tannous. A tragedy for sure. Kids die, kids develop complications and kids suffer amputations. Many of us have followed Ella's case and those involved know that adverse events happen. Septicemia can lead to shock, necrosis can lead to amputation. More so, serious invasive streptococcus infection is extremely rare as opposed to strep pharyngitis and one out of four patients will die as a result.
It is an unfortunate tragic story, however Ella is alive because of the great medical care she received. And where hindsight is 20-20, physicians know you don't always treat fever with antibiotics and you don't always get septic shock from a bacterial infection. This is a worst case scenario but a plausible one. 
More importantly, in a country where there is lack of trust in the judicial system and where chaos prevails, the media suddenly takes on the important and dangerous role of referee and imparts on us a romanticized sensationalized image to attract more viewers. 
Appealing to the media to settle legal matters is a slippery slope. Let justice take its course, improve the judicial system instead of creating new unqualified referees. Everyone is entitled to due process including Dr. Issam Maalouf, and yes this is truly a tragedy for everyone involved.