This is true. These two avian flu pandemics were large, and caused huge numbers of deaths. The outbreak of avian flu in 1997 is also often categorised with these. One of the reasons why seasonal flu isn't such a problem in western countries at the moment is that it doesn't spread to really at-risk populations (the very young and very old) readily due to wide-spread vaccination causing population immunity - where the virus keeps bumping up against people with immunity and doesn't spread far through the population.
Unfortunately, the only reason that we can vaccinate against seasonal flu is that we can predict what the next strain is going to be, and can create a vaccine a year in advance. The problem with the current outbreak is that it's not seasonal flu, but 'pandemic flu,' which arises outside the normal seasonal variations and is far less predictable, usually because pandemic flu strains jump from animals to humans - a much less common and predictable occurrence. Anyway. I don't believe that there's too serious a concern at the moment. And even if the swine flu does become a serious problem, there'll be plenty of warning for anyone planning travel. - DAemon 2009/4/30 Fabrizio Giudici <[email protected]> > > While I agree with most of the things Josh said, indeed there were two > "minor" pandemics in 1956 and 1967. While minor, they made a number of > casualties in the millions magnitudo, if I'm not wrong. > > -- > Fabrizio Giudici - Java Architect, Project Manager > Tidalwave s.a.s. - "We make Java work. > Everywhere."weblogs.java.net/blog/fabriziogiudici - > www.tidalwave.it/[email protected] - mobile: +39 348.150.6941 > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
