What is a Flu Epidemic?

niman · **Posted:** Sat Feb 06, 2010 7:20 am

I have noticed that pandemic flu news stories have been struck with a pandemic of the word "epidemic". A pandemic does not change to an epidemic because a given wave ends. The use of "epidemic" to describe a pandemic is incorrect and undefined, but has become the headline word of the day.

littlebird · **Joined:** Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:28 pm **Posts:** 604

I've noticed that too. I see it everywhere. Even at work. "due to the current community flu epidemic" la-dee-dah....

all over the place. Maybe the word "pandemic" has been silently voted down, by the media, as too offensive for the public, and epidemic is way more acceptable. Either way, it's misleading, and confusing.

A lady asked me at work the other day why weren't allowing visitors under the age of 19 into the hospital. She said "is it becasuse this has been such a crazy flu season?" :blink:

I said "No, it's because there's a world-wide influenza Pandemic going on". She looked at me incredulously.

This flu hasn't been in maistream media for a while, and the Media-fed Mob quickly forgets stuff in about a week if its not thrown in their face every hour.

zombie · **Joined:** Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:21 am **Posts:** 319

If other people, like myself, require some clarification.

Quote:

What is the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?

* Put simply, a pandemic covers a much wider geographical area, often worldwide. A pandemic also infects many more people than an epidemic. An epidemic is specific to one city, region or country, while a pandemic goes much further than national borders.

* An epidemic is when the number of people who become infected rises well beyond what is expected within a country or a part of a country. When the infection takes place in several countries at the same time it then starts turning into a pandemic.

* A pandemic is usually caused by a new virus strain or subtype - a virus humans either have no immunity against, or very little immunity. If immunity is low or non-existent the virus is much more likely to spread around the world if it becomes easily human transmissible.

* In the case of influenza, seasonal outbreaks (epidemics) are generally caused by subtypes of a virus that is already circulating among people. Pandemics, on the other hand, are generally caused by novel subtypes - these subtypes have not circulated among people before. Pandemics can also be caused by viruses, in the case of influenza, that perhaps have not circulated among people for a very long time.

* Pandemics generally cause much higher numbers of deaths than epidemics. The social disruption, economic loss, and general hardship caused by a pandemic are much higher than what an epidemic can cause.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/148945.php#809189D2-7517-4af1-BAF0-1A36C3BB8640&numResults=50&command=%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27veohrecs_fr%27%29.style.height%20%3D%20%27107px%27%3B%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27Veoh_SpaceDiv%27%29.style.height%20%3D%20%2712px%27%3B%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27VeohCompass.LoadingDiv%27%29.style.height%20%3D%20%270px%27%3B%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27VeohCompass.LoadingDiv%27%29.style.display%20%3D%20%27none%27%3B

niman · **Posted:** Sat Feb 06, 2010 2:05 pm

zombie wrote:

If other people, like myself, require some clarification.

Quote:

What is the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?

* Put simply, a pandemic covers a much wider geographical area, often worldwide. A pandemic also infects many more people than an epidemic. An epidemic is specific to one city, region or country, while a pandemic goes much further than national borders.

* An epidemic is when the number of people who become infected rises well beyond what is expected within a country or a part of a country. When the infection takes place in several countries at the same time it then starts turning into a pandemic.

* A pandemic is usually caused by a new virus strain or subtype - a virus humans either have no immunity against, or very little immunity. If immunity is low or non-existent the virus is much more likely to spread around the world if it becomes easily human transmissible.

* In the case of influenza, seasonal outbreaks (epidemics) are generally caused by subtypes of a virus that is already circulating among people. Pandemics, on the other hand, are generally caused by novel subtypes - these subtypes have not circulated among people before. Pandemics can also be caused by viruses, in the case of influenza, that perhaps have not circulated among people for a very long time.

* Pandemics generally cause much higher numbers of deaths than epidemics. The social disruption, economic loss, and general hardship caused by a pandemic are much higher than what an epidemic can cause.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/148945.php#809189D2-7517-4af1-BAF0-1A36C3BB8640&numResults=50&command=%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27veohrecs_fr%27%29.style.height%20%3D%20%27107px%27%3B%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27Veoh_SpaceDiv%27%29.style.height%20%3D%20%2712px%27%3B%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27VeohCompass.LoadingDiv%27%29.style.height%20%3D%20%270px%27%3B%20m_objCurrentDocument.getElementById%28%27VeohCompass.LoadingDiv%27%29.style.display%20%3D%20%27none%27%3B

Clarification:
The media makes it up as they go (no science or time honored definitions required). It is ALL political.

stephensons · **Posted:** Sat Feb 06, 2010 5:07 pm

I agree, in the UK, Haiti was an issue for about a week, then nothing. Same with the flu last year, predicting 65,000 deaths in one newspaper (Times online) then a few days ago, saying it was a 'hoax' and that's the end of it. As said previously in some of my postings, humans never seem to learn from history.. :cray:

Pandora · **Joined:** Sat Dec 12, 2009 8:43 pm **Posts:** 399

I think it's foolish for anyone to try and predict the number of death's that might ensue during a pandemic. That's like trying to predict the damage a hurricane will produce on a city a few days before landfall. Once you give absolutes, you are judged absolutely. It's foolishness.

MKey1 · **Joined:** Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:12 pm **Posts:** 1260

Quote:

I said "No, it's because there's a world-wide influenza Pandemic going on". She looked at me incredulously.

Don't you just love that glazed-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights, OMG look when reality is presented straight and isn't watered down so nobody gets upset?

. . . . .

. . . . .

niman · **Posted:** Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:14 pm

MKey1 wrote:

Quote:

I said "No, it's because there's a world-wide influenza Pandemic going on". She looked at me incredulously.

Don't you just love that glazed-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights, OMG look when reality is presented straight and isn't watered down so nobody gets upset?

. . . . .

. . . . .

The disinformation is remarkable, even at state sites. At North Carolina the front page says NC has both seasonal and pandemic influenza, but the serotype breakdown is Pandemic H1N1 (392), H1 (0), H3 (0), Infleunza B (0) for the entire 2009/2020 season through 1/29/10. 393 pandemic H1N1 isoaltes compare to ZERO for all seasonal flu combined for the entire season is NOT an indication that they have seasonal flu.

http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/gcdc/pdf/flu0910.pdf

niman · **Posted:** Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:25 pm

I believe the widespread us of the term "epidemic" when referring to a pandemic is due to this AP article

http://www.time.com/time/health/article ... 59,00.html

spentitall · **Joined:** Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:14 am **Posts:** 337

From the Times article referenced above,

Quote:

Is the U.S. swine flu epidemic over?

I am not sure, as I don't have a degree in linguistics, but when specifically talking about the US, can they refer to pH1N1 as epidemic in the US without detracting from the fact that it is pandemic in the world?

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