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Originally Posted by Ashartus
Historically pandemics have had 2-3 waves. From what I've heard a lot of experts predicted a wave peaking around the beginning of November (i.e. about now), and another wave later in the winter - by which time hopefully enough people will have been vaccinated to minimize it.
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Yes, but, and I think this is important, and might explain the heighened sense of panic that some people might be exhibiting. i.e The word "pandemic".
Historically pandemics by the WHO's definition were:
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"The old definition was a new virus, which went around quickly, for which you didn't have immunity, and which created a high morbidity and mortality rate. Now the last two have been dropped, and that's how swine flu has been categorized as a pandemic."
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http://www.healthzone.ca/health/news...obia-runs-deep
So in essence what we have now is (by the recently changed definition and criteria for acceptance) the swine flu pandemic which people naturally associate with other flu pandemics (e.g Spanish) that carried large mortalities when in fact the only reason this flu has gained pandemic status is because the WHO has lowered the criteria for membership of the pandemic club.
Might explain some of the heightened anxiety when if all was to be considered this virus, whilst novel and undoubtedly contagious is actually exhibiting no extreme end results and no different to the seasonal flu that would actually warrant it to be by definition an old school pandemic.