What is the Difference Between Epidemic and Pandemic Level Outbreaks?
Both epidemic and pandemic refer to the proliferation of contagious diseases among a given population. There are basically two differences between epidemic and pandemic. A much larger population is affected by a pandemic, and it affects a bigger region or area, and sometimes could affect the entire global population.
The difference between epidemic and pandemic is that an epidemic usually occurs when an illness pervades over an unusual number of persons, or more than what is expected. A pandemic, meanwhile, affects a larger group of the population, or much more than an epidemic.
The flu, for example, becomes prevalent in a particular area or locality, or perhaps a city or county. This becomes an epidemic. Larger in scope, if the disease or illness, or in this instance the swine flu virus, bears across countries, and even permeates different continents and spreads through different populations, this turns into a pandemic.
The difference between epidemic and pandemic can also be determined by the concentration levels or incidence of the spread of disease. It could be that an illness or disease has spread across an entire nation, but the concentration level is not pronounced. This is an epidemic.
But once the prevalence or the concentration becomes so high, then even if it is confined in a single country, this can already be considered as a pandemic outbreak. An epidemic turns into a pandemic when the spread of the disease goes out of hand and gets relatively out of control.
Swine Flu Vaccinations
the H1N1 vaccine has become available in the United States, but at levels far below what hase been promised. While the supply is increasing daily, it has been a real, nail-biting effort to get enough vaccinations to cover the people who want it. When you are dealing with a virus that has the potential to kill, people are often panicked and will go to all sorts of lengths to alleviate their anxiety.
The swine flu virus and the vaccine to stop it is growing in supply. It comes in both nasal spray and injectable form, and has caused a great deal of controversy about it level of safety of the vaccination versus risking it without the vaccination. While there is a difference of opinion, right now it’s all we’ve got and this is especially true for our at risk members of the society like the very young, those with underlying medical conditions and the very old.
Swine Flu Virus: Pros and Cons
There are pros and cons to the swine flu virus versus the swine flu vaccination. Ultimately, if you want to have the highest chance to Survive Pandemic Flu, you will need to make a choice of risking the known side effects versus the unknown quantity of whether you will get the swine flu virus or not this winter.
