The success of the species, homo sapiens, has allowed the species to populate the planet at an unprecedented level. The population level is almost certainly not sustainable and yet the population continues to grow.

One of the constraints on population is disease. In the flu pandemic scenario, the population of human beings on the planet is essentially an ecosystem that can support an explosion of a virus population. The most “successful” virus population explosion is likely to be one that can spread through the air. A virus like HIV that spreads through body fluids is unlikely to match the infection numbers of an airborne pathogen.

Aside from the intrinsic contagious nature of a pathogen, the human population of the planet is highly mobile continuously creating vectors to spread a contagious pathogen across continents in a single day.

So, where is the good news in a story like this?

hmmm …. let me get back to you on that.

[1] clipped from [2] www.washingtonpost.com MEXICO CITY, April 25 — The World Health Organization rushed to convene an emergency meeting Saturday to develop a response to the “pandemic potential” of a new swine flu virus that has sparked a deadly outbreak in [3] Mexico and spread to disparate parts of the United States. WHO Cites Potential for Swine Flu Pandemic By [4] Joshua Partlow and Rob Stein Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, April 26, 2009 Health officials reported that at least eight students at a private high school in New York City had “probable” swine flu. They also confirmed three new cases — two in Kansas and one in California — bringing the total number of confirmed U.S. cases to 11. The president of Mexico, where the outbreak has killed as many as 81 people, issued an order granting his government broad powers to isolate patients and question travelers. “In the assessment of the WHO, this is a serious situation that must be watched very carefully,” she said. “It has pandemic potential.” [5]