'Pandemic' does not mean what most people think it means. It does not mean 'this is a dinosaur killer event.' It means:
- emergence of a disease new to a given population, e.g. syphilis in a convent
- agents infect humans, causing serious illness, e.g. whooping cough
- agents spread easily and sustainably among humans, e.g. impetigo
Cancer is not pandemic because it is not infectious. HIV is not pandemic because it is not easily spread save by spreading your legs. Whooping cough is not because it is not breaking out in new populations, only in those where it was previously present but have had a drop in vaccination rates. Impetigo is not a pandemic because it is not serious.
Mexican Flu has been declared a pandemic because it meets the above criteria, and triggers accelerated production of vaccines. BFD. It's no more dangerous than 'regular' flu, although middle age adults catch it a bit easier than the usual stuff.
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