One of the most important facts about pandemics is that the term refers to spread, not severity.

A pandemic can also be severe but that is a different clinical measure. It is possible to have mild or moderate pandemics or severe outbreaks.

You want to keep your eye, then, on those two measures: spread and severity.

As of now, the World Health Organization is assessing this pandemic as “moderate.”

CNN

“The World Health Organization announced Tuesday it is still considering increasing its pandemic alert level to phase 6 because of growing worldwide cases of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu.

“Globally, we are at phase 5, but we are nearing phase 6,” said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO’s Assistant Director General. “As this continues to spread internationally, some countries are moving from isolated to sustained community spread.”

….”Fukuda was quick to remind journalists that the designation does not reflect the severity of the disease, but how widespread it is.

“Our overall assessment of severity is moderate,” he said, “because although the overall number of serious and fatal cases is relatively limited … we really don’t have a full handle on the number of people with serious illness.” (Emphasis added)

“Fukuda said nearly 19,000 cases of the H1N1 virus have been reported in 64 countries, resulting in 117 deaths.”

Source: CNN, June 2, 2009

Source: World Health Organization, June 2, 2009