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• n  an epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world
• s  epidemic over a wide geographical area
  a pandemic outbreak of malaria
• s  existing everywhere
  pandemic fear of nuclear war

• The government swings into crisis mode to prevent a pandemic.
• That very question was addressed in 2005, when the WHO revamped its pandemic response system, instituting six ascending phases, each with specific criteria used to judge an .
• Since influenza runs in cycles of some 20 years, some epidemiologists expect another great pandemic any year now.

News & Articles

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• WHO proposes new pandemic flu alert levels
  Jun 10, 2013 (CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today proposed a new pandemic alert system, one that's designed to focus more on disease risk than geographic spread and to streamline communications to the public.
  June 10, 2013 - Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
• MERS coronavirus has potential to cause pandemic: WHO
  By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization on Monday urged health workers around the world to be on the alert for symptoms of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which has the potential to circle the globe and cause a pandemic. The United Nations agency, which issued new, long-awaited guidance to countries on influenza pandemics, said the ...
  June 10, 2013 - Reuters via Yahoo! News
• WHO: MERS coronavirus has potential to cause pandemic
  The World Health Organization on Monday urged health workers around the world to be on the alert for symptoms of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which has the potential to circle the globe and cause a pandemic.
  June 10, 2013 - Fox News

Quotes

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• Margaret Chan in msnbc.com
  For the first time in history, we can track the evolution of a pandemic in real time,WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said at a news conference today.
• Ban Ki-moon in Aljazeera.net
  Amid many crises - food, energy, recession and pandemic flu, hitting all at once - the world looks to us for answers,Ban told the 192-nation assembly.
• Barack Obama in Inquirer.net
  The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities,Obama said in a statement.