The recent H1N1 pandemic demonstrates that this problematisation is not merely a scholarly exercise. From the first announcements of the new virus, Osterhaus and Coutinho dominated politics and the media. Their performances raised a plethora of comments and questions and, to put it mildly, were not undisputed (Van Rijswoud 2009) . This led to the organisation of a public debate with Osterhaus and Coutinho, inviting them to publicly reflect on their roles (see Dortmans and Van Rijswoud 2009) .