Why would the WHO change it's definition of a pandemic?

[jakeXT]

SPIEGEL: Do you think the WHO declared a pandemic prematurely?

Jefferson: Don't you think there's something noteworthy about the fact that the WHO has changed its definition of pandemic? The old definition was a new virus, which went around quickly, for which you didn't have immunity, and which created a high morbidity and mortality rate. Now the last two have been dropped, and that's how swine flu has been categorized as a pandemic.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,637119,00.html



Here he is again in a video (the interview is in English with Swedish subtitles)

http://svtplay.se/v/1632479/rapport/kritik_mot_influensalarm?cb,a1366518,1,f,113307/pb,a1366516,1,f,113307/pl,v,,1632479/sb,k103266,1,f,113307

[glowing]

1. I thought a large portion of society does not have immunity from the swine flu.

People born after 1956 or something like that.. would not have the immunology within their system to know how to fight off the flu.. the reason for the higher rates of infection for younger persons.. and of course those who are already weakened by a pre-existing affliction.

[Why Syzygy]

2. "Noteworthy" indeed.

Why is it so important to WHO to push this as a pandemic?

[trotsky]

3. OMG it's TEH CONSPIRACEEE!

Actually, no, it's not. Shall we consult the WHO's website?

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic/en

What is an influenza pandemic?

A disease epidemic occurs when there are more cases of that disease than normal. A pandemic is a worldwide epidemic of a disease. An influenza pandemic may occur when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity. With the increase in global transport, as well as urbanization and overcrowded conditions in some areas, epidemics due to a new influenza virus are likely to take hold around the world, and become a pandemic faster than before. WHO has defined the phases of a pandemic to provide a global framework to aid countries in pandemic preparedness and response planning. Pandemics can be either mild or severe in the illness and death they cause, and the severity of a pandemic can change over the course of that pandemic.

With the increased mobility of society, the ability of viruses to spread AND mutate is enhanced. The WHO would evidently rather act on the side of caution, mobilizing resources when even a "benign" virus is spreading like crazy because with that rapid spread come opportunities for the virus to become much more deadly in a very short period of time.

Effective pandemic preparedness around the world is essential to mitigate the effects of a pandemic, particularly if it becomes severe.

Naw, it's a big pharma conspiracy!!! :sarcasm:

[jakeXT]

4. So they did not change it?

new definition

What is an influenza pandemic?

A disease epidemic occurs when there are more cases of that disease than normal. A pandemic is a worldwide epidemic of a disease. An influenza pandemic may occur when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity. With the increase in global transport, as well as urbanization and overcrowded conditions in some areas, epidemics due to a new influenza virus are likely to take hold around the world, and become a pandemic faster than before. WHO has defined the phases of a pandemic to provide a global framework to aid countries in pandemic preparedness and response planning. Pandemics can be either mild or severe in the illness and death they cause, and the severity of a pandemic can change over the course of that pandemic.




old definition

An influenza pandemic

An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in several, simultaneous epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness. With the increase in global transport and communications, as well as urbanization and overcrowded conditions, epidemics due the new influenza virus are likely to quickly take hold around the world.

http://web.archive.org/web/20070106054534/http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic/en/

[trotsky]

5. What strawman said they didn't?

I didn't say they didn't change it, I pointed out that with the increased mobility of populations and the ability of viruses to mutate into lethal forms quickly, it makes sense not to wait until massive deaths and injuries are happening to begin coordinating a response.

In fact, if you follow the "Strengthening pandemic influenza preparedness and response" link at the bottom of the current page, you will see a 2005 report from the Secretariat of the WHO explaining that (among other things):

Conditions favouring the emergence of a pandemic virus are, however, well known, and are increasingly being met. It is therefore prudent for all countries, supported by WHO, to undertake or intensify preparedness activities as a matter of urgency.

Looks like it's something the WHO has been working on for years, and is a completely responsible and reasonable thing to do.

Or you can just believe TEH BIG PHARMA controls WHO and wants to KILL YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, I suppose. :shrug:

[jakeXT]

6. So we will be getting this hype every year from now on ?

[trotsky]

7. What you call "hype," some health experts call "preparedness."

You've made up your mind, so don't bother worrying about it. Just ignore any warnings, and make sure you and your family don't use ANY products made by a pharmaceutical company.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. That is not a meaningful change

The mildness or severity are not mentioned in the 'old definition' you quote; in the new one, it says the mildness or severity doesn't matter. The old one says it's enormous numbers of deaths and illness; there's a difference between the numbers ill, and how severe their illness is. Both definitions are about the numbers, not the severity of the illness.

[jakeXT]

12. He claims not to know anymore what a pandemic is and now regular seasonal influenza could fit

the description

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

21. A global epidemic of an infectious disease that affects a large cross section of the population.

Simple enough.

[truedelphi]

14. This past spring, as tens of thousands of Californians

Jammed emergency rooms with slight respiratory "infections" (probably actually hay fever related to spring pollen) the news casters were adroit enough to point out that the regular old flu had killed six people, while swine flu had only killed two.

Yet it was the propanganda about "swine flu" that scared the be-Jesus out of people.

The other thing is - if you are so worried about the swine flu that you rush yourself and family off to sit in a hospital waiting room, you are increasing the chances of getting the disease.

I rarely if ever get the flu - and of course, by the time you are in your mid fifties (like me) you have already been exposed to so many variants of these things that I guess my "immunity" is not surprising.

[Warpy]

17. "Pandemic" refers to a virus traveling through a population

that has no immunity to it to the point that a significant portion become ill with it. Becoming ill with it is called morbidity.

It has absolutely no relation to high mortality and never did have AFAIK.

After all, the 1918 pandemic had "only" about a 5% mortality rate and most of that was from secondary infection we treat pretty easily now.

[jakeXT]

8. First influenza pandemic in more tha 40 years, not bad

Novel influenza A/H1N1 - previously referred to as "swine flu" - is a new influenza virus that was
first detected in humans in April 2009 in Mexico and the U.S. Since then, the virus has been detected
in more than 70 countries. The fast spread of the virus led the World Health Organization (WHO) to
raise the pandemic alert level to Phase 6, making it the first influenza pandemic declared in more
than 40 years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS135919+01-Sep-2009+BW20090901?sp=true


'Discovered' in April and definition changed in May

[Celebration]

9. purely coincidental

dontcha think?

:tinfoilhat:

[Why Syzygy]

11. Science reigns supreme ...

until it contradicts the GOVERNMENT and BIG PHARMA! (kissing cousins)

What does an epidemiologist know?
(The branch of medicine that deals with the study of the causes, distribution, and control of disease in populations.)


The world has been gripped with fears of swine flu in recent weeks. In an interview with SPIEGEL, epidemiologist Tom Jefferson speaks about dangerous fear-mongering, misguided, money-driven research and why we should all be washing our hands a lot more often.

SPIEGEL: Mr. Jefferson, the world is living in fear of swine flu. And some predict that, by next winter, one-third of the world's population might be infected. Are you personally worried? Are you and your family taking any precautions?

Tom Jefferson: I wash my hands very often -- and it's not all because of swine flu. That's probably the most effective precaution there is against all respiratory viruses, and the majority of gastrointestinal viruses and germs as well.

SPIEGEL: Do you consider the swine flu to be particularly worrisome?

Jefferson : It's true that influenza viruses are unpredictable, so it does call for a certain degree of caution. But one of the extraordinary features of this influenza -- and the whole influenza saga -- is that there are some people who make predictions year after year, and they get worse and worse. None of them so far have come about, and these people are still there making these predictions. For example, what happened with the bird flu, which was supposed to kill us all? Nothing. But that doesn't stop these people from always making their predictions. Sometimes you get the feeling that there is a whole industry almost waiting for a pandemic to occur.
(...)

[trotsky]

13. So you believe that American pharmaceuticals and the US Government...

control the World Health Organization?

Where's your proof of that?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

16. Your link never shows where the definition was changed.

I suspect that's because the definition wasn't changed.

[jakeXT]

18. To what post were you replying?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

20. Post # 8

[jakeXT]

22. what about 4?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

23. Why did you change it from the OP?

[jakeXT]

24. I'm confused

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

25. Which was it?

simultaneous epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness Post # 4

The old definition was a new virus, which went around quickly, for which you didn't have immunity, and which created a high morbidity and mortality rate Original Post

[jakeXT]

26. The first one is read by him in the video, the second one is obviously paraphrased during

an interview with Spiegel

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

27. So the high morbidity and mortality "definition" is paraphrased and not really a definition.

[jakeXT]

28. I don't know why they use deaths instead of mortality, since it's commonly used by scientists and

in other WHO documents.

He probably uses the word mortality every day and therefore probably used it when giving his interview with Spiegel.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

29. So you think those to phrases are essentially the exact same?

[jakeXT]

30. if you look up morbidity it's illness

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=4430

Definition of Morbidity

Morbidity: Illness, disease.



Mortality: A fatal outcome or, in one word, death. The word "mortality" is derived from "mortal" which came from the Latin "mors" (death).
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=19649



It can be, but it doesn't have to

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

31. In the OP he is talking about morbidity and mortality rates. Those were never in the definition.

[jakeXT]

32. well

you have "enormous deaths" paraphrased with "high morbidity" and in the new definition it's "mild or severe in death they cause".
His point was that it's now broader, and I believe he is right.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

33. Other than the 1918 flu none of the others in the last century had either high mortality rates or...

enormous deaths. Yet those were still classified as pandemics. How do you explain that?

[jakeXT]

34. I don't know, isn't the 68 pandemic 10 times higher in mortality than the current one?

http://flutracker.rhizalabs.com/

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

35. No the mortality rate is not 10 times higher.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

36. The 1977 Russian Flu epidemic wasn't called a pandemic because it primarily only affected children.

Sorry typed the wrong year and flu.

[jakeXT]

37. some call it a scare

http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/pandemics/flu3.htm#8

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

38. You are correct about 1976, I meant the Russian Flu of 1977 I edited it.

The swine flu of 1976 was a pandemic scare and a local epidemic. The 1977 Russian Flu was not a pandemic because it didn't affect a wide cross section of the population.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

15. The definition has always been a global epidemic of an infectious disease...

that affects a large cross section of the population. No one changed the definition. Only the Spanish Flu of 1918 had a high morbidity and mortality rate that was significantly higher than the seasonal flu. In 2007 the Pandemic Severity Index was put in place but it didn't change the definition of Pandemic.

[triguy46]

19. I don't recall that morbidity was ever in the mix, e.g. 1968

Hong Kong flu 1968 was a worldwide pandemic, very low death rate.

[kumbaya]

39. Why, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever!

They are such a wonderful, aboveboard group and all...Gee willikers...:shrug:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

40. I'm sure they appreciate your endorsement.

[Why Syzygy]

41. It's because

our laws go out the window and the WHO takes over all sovereign nations once they declare a pandemic.
Since 2005. Adios USA.