As I pointed out a lot of the numbers being bandied around are less firm than they appear to be.

A lot of the reports from poorer nations and Mexico in particular are still classified as ILI, Influenza, Like, Illness. Some unknown number have a flu-like disease with muscle pain, fever and coughing. The very worse cases, and hypochondriacs, are showing up at hospitals. This throws off the count both ways.

Even when it is pretty well known that a person has the swine flu if they die there is still a question of how to list the death. In LA two died that had swine flu but one had lymphoma and the proximate cause of death for the other was, pending death certificate, pneumonia.

Determining the actual cause and assigning blame is not as simple as just counting the bodies.

On the up side, as one commentator pointed out, 'as long as you can still count the bodies it isn't really a pandemic'.