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Posted: Thursday, 30 April 2009 1:40PM
Area Experts Says ''Pandemic'' Describes Spread, Not Severity of Diseases
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So what is a "pandemic"? The term is inherently frightening, and with good reason: there has been catastrophic loss of life with some previous pandemics throughout history.
KYW's Tony Hanson talked with an infectious disease doctor at the Temple University School of Medicine about what the term "pandemic" actually means.
Dr. Robert Bettiker (right) says a pandemic is determined by the wide geographical spread of a particular disease:
"A 'pandemic' means there is an increase in a number of cases in multiple countries. So it has to do with the spread and the numbers of people. It doesn't have to do necessarily with the severity of the disease."
For example, Dr. Bettiker says, there could be pandemic of a routine cold virus.
In the case of the H1N1 ("swine flu") outbreak, he says, the flu virus does not seem to be particularly virulent. He says that such viruses can mutate, becoming more or less severe, so he believes that President Obama has set the right tone -- that we should be concerned, but not panic.
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