The Swine Flu Pandemic - Should We Be Concerned?

As I write this review, we are in the midst of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. The extent and impact of this pandemic is still unknown. Although daily reports on confirmed cases and deaths provide a constant stream of detailed information, it is not possible to predict with any degree of precision the impact the outbreak will have in society in general or on the life insurance industry in particular.1 The epidemiology of such disease outbreaks has been likened to a jigsaw puzzle, and we are now at the stage where the picture is intriguing even if we are not sure what we are seeing.2.