Pandemic is not a pretty word. It's definition is this: "Prevalent over a whole area, country, etc.Epidemic over a large region. Said of a disease...a pandemic disease."
Those who are in the know say the Swine Flu, or North American Flu, is a pandemic disease. Today it is in New York and Texas, hundreds of miles apart. It is international. Mexico seems hardest hit. It is contagious, traveling from person to person. In South Texas we surely are vulnerable for this flu with our proximity to Mexico. We have had flu scares for years. The latest has been the Bird Flu. During World War I a flu hit our country and took more lives than the war did. Keep in mind, however, there were 36,000 deaths from the flu this last year in our country. It is a silent killer every year, taking mainly the old and infirm. This flu strikes the young and healthy. It is something to be taken seriously, but nothing to panic over. We will need to take the advice of medical and political leadership if this pandemic develops.
It is another stress to add to our economic and social problems. If you have a walk with the Lord in your life there is no reason to fear. " For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love, and a sound mind." ( II Timothy 1:7.) A sound mind is one that guides us in sound decisions as we face this threat, or any other. Apparently, those who raise hogs, or are around hogs, can have some immunity. In an editorial in the Caller Times it was said:" Because most people do not have contact with hogs, they will have no immunity against swine flu.". If you see a friendly swine you might give it a big hug.A little immunity can go a long way.