Some health officials fear that the current outbreak of swine flu may already be pandemic. A pandemic is a global epidemic, one that spreads from nation to nation.

Our world today is so interconnected that even the threat of a pandemic causes immediate community reactions. Schools, day-care centers, restaurants and stores close. Transportation and other basic services are curtailed. Church services and social gatherings are canceled. Businesses are hampered or shut down by manpower shortages.

Swine flu threat

Swine influenza virus is common in pigs but rare in humans. Even when people with intense exposure to swine influenza catch it, it usually is not passed from human to human.

But that has changed!

A new strain of the influenza A subtype H1N1 virus, derived in part from human influenza, avian (bird) influenza and two separate strains of swine influenza, is now passing from one human to another. The first symptoms appeared March 9 when hundreds of people in the Mexican town of La Gloria began having flu symptoms. La Gloria is surrounded by huge pig farms.

As of April 29, that flu had spread to at least nine countries. In the United States, there are more than 100 confirmed cases in 11 states and there has been one death.

World Health Organization concerns

The World Health Organization (WHO) rates potential influenza pandemics according to phases. On April 29, WHO raised the swine flu alert level to phase 5, the next-to-highest level, which means that a possible pandemic could be imminent and the need for preparedness is urgent. Phase 6 would mean a global pandemic is officially underway.

Three influenza pandemics occurred in the past century. The Spanish flu in 1918-19 was terribly virulent and deadly, affecting half the world's population. The estimates of the number killed range from 20 to 100 million worldwide. The Asian flu in 1957-58 caused 70,000 deaths, and the Hong Kong flu in 1968-69 caused 33,000 deaths.

Response paralysis

Fear of a disease pandemic can paralyze a nation more completely than a large natural disaster confined to one area.

With major earthquake or hurricane destruction, injuries and deaths mostly occur suddenly. Rescue and recovery efforts begin immediately. Volunteers come pouring in from near and far. Generous donations of resources like money, equipment and supplies are made available.

But with a major pandemic, every region of a nation can be affected, possibly for months. Just when more medical care is needed, many medical personnel would become sick. Hospitals would be overwhelmed. If every city is affected, no city could expect to receive much help from other cities.

Because all parts of advanced societies are interconnected and interdependent, there is the domino effect. A breakdown in one area hurts many other areas.

Future pandemics

There is reason to anticipate even more serious pandemics in the future.

God has promised blessings, including protection, for those who love and obey Him. But Bible prophecy predicts eventual punishment for nations that turn their backs on God and His Word—a trend that is becoming all too common in our modern society.

Those divine punishments for not keeping "all the words of this law that are written in this book" will include "extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses" (Deuteronomy 28:58-59).

So what can you do? Do your best to stay in good health and practice all the usual safety precautions for avoiding contagious diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide good advice at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.

But the most important thing you can do is to have faith in God and rely on Him to be your Protector and Savior. Consider the reassuring words of Psalm 91 that describe how God is able to protect those who obey Him from the heart in all circumstances:

"Surely He shall deliver you...from the perilous pestilence… You shall not be afraid...of the pestilence... A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you… No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling" (Psalm 91:3-10).

To learn more about biblical prophecy and promises related to the last days, request or download our free booklets Are We Living in the Time of the End? and You Can Understand Bible Prophecy.