What is the pandemic

**asharl** · 15-12-2005, 12:37 AM

I know what a pandemic is, but what is teh pandemic atm? Is it avian flu?

**Thirdfox** · 15-12-2005, 12:44 AM

the pandemic? Isn't it AIDS?

**Dan1979** · 15-12-2005, 05:02 AM

Are you implying that there's one pandemic at a time? It's not a fashionable fad like clothes or whatnot..

An epidemic (http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd):
"Occur[s] suddenly in numbers clearly in excess of normal expectancy, said especially of infectious diseases but applied also to any disease, injury or other health related event occurring in such outbreaks."

And a pandemic is:
"An epidemic that affects a wide geographic area."

Sorry if that seems condescending, it's not meant to be - I find breaking down the meanings of words absolutely invaluable in medicine.

Regarding HIV/AIDS, it's certainly pandemic in 'third-world' regions, but doesn't need to be thanks to modern anti-retrovirals - hence the recent campaign to make them available globally by 2010.

As for avian flu, I've not researched it through proper sources, and I can only take what I hear from the mainstream media with a pinch of salt (and by that I mean, scare-mongering is ridiculous).

**dragonlance** · 15-12-2005, 05:35 AM

Aids and tuberculosis

**M Clayton** · 15-12-2005, 03:20 PM

I don't think we've had a good old fashioned pandemic like the outbreak of Spanish Flu post WW1 for a long time.

Yes, I guess AIDS does fit with the definition but I don't believe avian flu can be called a pandemic yet. There aren't exactly millions affected with it are there?

**safa** · 15-12-2005, 04:00 PM

Alot of the anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/ aids are becoming resistant to the virus! Could this lead to a pandemic?

**yeliab_cram** · 15-12-2005, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by safa

Alot of the anti-retroviral drugs for HIV/ aids are becoming resistant to the virus! Could this lead to a pandemic?

firstly, seriously, wot the hell does this mean???!

there is a pandemic (of sorts) of HIV; anti-retrovirals are not a magic cure, they just keep ur CD4 count up and aids at bay for longer once uve got HIV, doesnt stop there being a 'pandemic' of the virus.

Secondly the original post really does make it sound like there is always one of those annoying pandemic thingys floating around. What are we all dying of this year eh boys??

I think the closest thing to a pandemic in recent years was SARS but it never quite made it did it. Nearly though!

**Dan1979** · 15-12-2005, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by yeliab_cram

there is a pandemic (of sorts) of HIV; anti-retrovirals are not a magic cure, they just keep ur CD4 count up and aids at bay for longer once uve got HIV, doesnt stop there being a 'pandemic' of the virus.

My impression was that the modern anti-retrovirals reduced the viral load to the extent that passing HIV becomes much harder, and progression to full-blown AIDS no longer inevitable (hence reduction of the pandemic), but I'm certainly no expert. Anyone know more about it?

**yeliab_cram** · 15-12-2005, 07:01 PM

as i understand it, although anti-retrovirals reduce HIV load dramatically, the effects are reduced with time, and ultimately HIV will overcome it however this may take 10,20,30+ years, giving the patient many symptom free years. Even so they are not foolproof, 20-30% of HIV positive patients on HAART still suffer HIV associated dementia or a milder form of confusion.

As i understand it however, there are examples of HAART sending HIV into remission indefinately.

Of course, the major problem with HAART is that the vast majority of HIV positive patients do not have acess to it, making the whole debate inconsequential!