What is a 'pandemic'?

(New York Times) UPDATED 2009-06-08

According to Dr. Lawrence K. Altman, though world health officials have been warning of impending "pandemics" for years, they've failed to actually explain to the public what they mean by the word. Altman says the word pandemic implies the rapid spread of an infectious disease to many countries in different regions. But, he says, the severity varies, since not all people are infected at the same time, and not every country need be affected. In this article, Altman explores other problems with the pandemic term, including how the word and the World Health Organization's six-level system isn't actually intended for people, but for governments and their recommended level of preparedness to deal with a disease. Read full story >

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