( CNN ) -- Just as Americans are staring down flu season , Hong Kong grabbed headlines this week with news confirming that a chicken was infected with the H5N1 virus and that many more suspected of harboring the dangerous disease were slaughtered . In the recent movie `` Contagion '' , Hollywood 's version of a pandemic , the government successfully executes a response plan . But our real-life encounter with a pandemic , the H1N1 flu , raises serious questions of whether the American public is prepared for such a crisis . It should have been good news that the H1N1 epidemic we confronted in 2009-10 was less deadly than feared , but instead , it was used as political leverage . Conservatives , in particular , claimed the vaccination recommendations were overhyped , more `` big government '' meddling in citizens ' lives . What 's worse , many media outlets highlighted the critical narrative while minimizing strong evidence that the government handled the threat quite well under the difficult circumstances . This occurred as opinion polls revealed the public 's growing lack of confidence in government officials and institutions , which are now at record levels . Is it any wonder , then , that , despite extensive planning and billions of dollars , the public will be unprepared for the next time ? The reason lies in our deep distrust of government and thus , our unwillingness to believe the experts ' claim that vaccination is the single best method for preventing the spread of disease . To be sure , Americans have both historical and contemporary reasons for suspecting that government officials may not be diligent in protecting the public 's health over powerful interests . The history of epidemics is replete with boneheaded government actions that trampled the rights of marginal populations in the interests of protecting the so-called larger public . Nearly every major American epidemic has targeted the poor or an ethnic minority group as objects of blame in efforts to prevent the spread of disease . As late as the 2003 SARS outbreak , New Yorkers shunned the city 's Chinatown amid rumors that undocumented immigrants had brought the disease to America . By some estimates , business fell by 70 % although not a single case from that neighborhood was ever diagnosed . In this media environment it is harder than ever for us to know who to trust and how to separate fact from fiction . During the H1N1 pandemic , radio personalities such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh implied that choosing not to take the vaccine was a litmus test of ideological commitment to opposing the Obama administration . Some opponents of the administration 's proposed health care reform legislation delighted in the vaccine production delays and questioned its safety and effectiveness , saying it was proof of the government 's incompetence to `` run health care . '' Two senators commanded a news cycle by demanding the secretary of Health and Human Services explain the shortage , joining the chorus of those accusing the government of wildly overestimating the production schedule and making false promises . Within two weeks of such grandstanding , there was a surplus of vaccine , although well over half of those questioned in polls said they believed there was not enough vaccine for all who wanted it . Too many are willing to accept , if not engage in , factual distortions to create their own comfortable reality . Public opinion polls around the time of the H1N1 danger revealed nearly a 20-point difference between Democrats ' and Republicans ' intention to seek the vaccine . Republicans not only were less inclined to take it , they were also more inclined to doubt the disease was as serious as health officials claimed . Our continued willingness to follow politicians who are leading us astray is to our own detriment . Admittedly , it takes considerably more effort to critically evaluate the accuracy of information we receive , especially if inconvenient , than to simply accept what we want to hear , but we have no other choice . Acting responsibly will literally be a matter of life and death . In the end , fewer than 20 % of Americans took the vaccine , with over half of the population indicating they did n't believe the government message that the vaccine was safe and effective . Ironically , Hollywood has now legitimated the public 's skepticism by including a scene in `` Contagion '' in which a reporter asks the fictional CDC official how he knows the epidemic threat is not `` another false alarm '' like the H1N1 . Take it from me : H1N1 was not a false alarm , nor were the government recommendations to address it hyperbolic . In the uncertainty of a crisis environment , government officials provided effective leadership . The distortions of politicians , ideologues and certain media outlets did us a disservice . Fewer Americans than expected died or required hospitalization , but next time , we might not be so lucky . Ultimately , it 's up to us to see through the politicizing and headline grabbing and protect ourselves . As Pogo observed , `` We have met the enemy and he is us . '' The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Leslie Gerwin .
Leslie Gerwin : « She says U.S. did not perform well during 2009-10 epidemic . She says conservatives claimed U.S. vaccination program was `` big government '' in action . Gerwin : The best way to prevent spread of the disease is vaccination .