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Those responsible for getting needed information to the public such as WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC here in the United States need facts about diseases so they can interpret these and appropriately guide the public. What they do when these facts are not facts but probabilities based on past performance of the virus is the art and science of the current HINI pandemic.

A pandemic was declared in June, 2009 after an outbreak swept through Mexico beginning in March. Containing this rapidly advancing virus became a world wide problem. Extremely contagious and infecting the young as opposed to the regular seasonal flu that is more likely to hospitalize and kill the elderly, this virus goes after the young. The older ones are likelier to have come in contact with the virus sometime in the past. This would have left them with some measure of immunity. The young does not have this possibility.

Quick intervention and nation and worldwide alerts as how to contain the virus were broadcasted and quickly put into place. Travel restrictions and quarantines were common so were school closings. Guesstimates were based on what public health community knew of the behavior of the virus in 1918 and influenza since. In 1918, when the first known H1N1 influenza pandemic was known, recorded and studied, killed more than fifty million worldwide. The 1957 Asian flue likewise acted similar in that it younger victims were involved. Therefore, those in charge had no choice but to artfully and scientifically put together predictions as to how the virus would act.

The virus could lay low during the summer and spring back with vengeance in the fall; could move to the southern hemisphere- Australia and new Zealand and infect those in their flu season, or, or, on and on the possibilities went. It did slow down during the summer although there were some incidences and it did take up residence in Australia, and it has come back but not quite with a vengeance, but at a steady pace. This is only the beginning - first of November 2009 - and the real flu season is still to play out. The problem now is a lack of vaccine for the long lines of vaccine seekers. During the summer, there was some who grumbling about the government declaring a pandemic and therefore creating panic, but they are now quiet. They are now grumbling about the lack of vaccine.

All this is taken in stride by those responsible for dealing with the crisis. They knew in advance that getting enough vaccine ready on time

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