Endemic, epidemic and now pandemic

The word endemic refers to diseases that exist in a particular place and that is generally under control. Epidemic refers to a serious human contagious sickness that is spreading rapidly among many persons in a community. Now the world is a global village and we have diseases that spread world-wide. At present, we have the pandemic flu and a plan developed by the Bush administration to deal with its possible outbreak in the United States shows that the US is woefully unprepared for what could possibly become the worst disaster in the nation’s history.

A large outbreak of the pandemic flu has started in Asia and because of modern travel patterns is expected to reach the United States within a few months and possibly just weeks. According to the New York Times, if and when it reaches the United States, hospitals would be overwhelmed and riots would break out in vaccination clinics. Even power and food would be in short supply.

A 381-page plan has already called for a quarantine and travel restrictions but even those that made the plan concede that the proposed measures "are unlikely to delay introduction of what will be a pandemic disease into the US. At best, it will delay its entry by a month or two." The worst case scenario is that 1.9 million Americans would die and 8.5 million would be hospitalized at a cost exceeding $450 billion.

We fervently pray that such a pandemic does not take place. We thought that the US already had more than its share of problems with hurricane Katrina wiping out New Orleans and hurricane Rita hitting Texas.

Now we go to the real problem. If a country like the United States would not be able to handle the outbreak of pandemic flu which is already in Asia, how will the Philippines cope with the disease?

It is not illogical to assume that if the pandemic flu reaches as far as the Unites States, it will probably hit us first. So far we have not seen any evidence of concern about the pandemic flu hitting the Philippines. This may be worse than the recent earthquake tragedy in Pakistan.

So far we have been lucky. We have had no typhoons or earthquakes. We hope we also get spared from pandemic flu. But the best policy is always to hope for the best but be ever prepared for the worst. What are the facts about pandemic flu? How can they call it pandemic when it is not yet a world-wide disease? If it becomes pandemic, it will certainly create a world-wide pandemonium. Pandemonium was the capital of Hell in Milton’s Paradise Lost.