On June 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed cases of swine flu in all 50 states.

This story, by David Brown, who is a physician, explains why there appears to be so much confusion.

Because there is.

Earlier stories in major newspapers have cautioned that a first round of seemingly mild cases—-which is what appears to be happening now—-may be followed by a later round of more severe cases. Whether or not that will happen is the topic of much debate.

Washington Post

“Influenza experts are acknowledging that they were almost completely surprised by the way the current swine flu outbreak unfolded, so much so it is forcing the world to rethink what a pandemic is and what pandemic preparedness means.

“Virtually every assumption made since planning for a pandemic began in earnest after the deadly “bird flu” outbreak of 2004 in Southeast Asia has been contradicted by the six-week history of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1).”

… “The consequence is that, despite five years and hundreds of millions of dollars spent on getting ready, the world is oddly unprepared for the incipient pandemic of H1N1 swine flu it now confronts. As of Friday, there had been 15,510 confirmed cases and 99 deaths in 53 countries.

“In the United States, plans to “limit non-essential passenger travel in affected areas” were never invoked, and an aggressive school-closing policy was quickly revised when it became clear that the virus did not travel like wildfire, and in all but a few cases caused only mild illness.” (Emphasis added)

Source: Washington Post, June 1, 2009