What's the difference between pandemic flu and the regular flu or bird flu

Pandemic influenza is a new virus that spreads easily from person to person worldwide and is more deadly than seasonal influenza.  

Seasonal influenza is the regular flu that you get that gives you symptoms of a really bad cold (severe tiredness, fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, sore throat, headache).  Seasonal influenza is most deadly for the very young and very old.  Seasonal influenza is a lot less serious than pandemic influenza that causes worse symptoms that kill even healthy and strong young adults.  This is because the new strain is one that we will not have had the opportunity to develop antibodies against before.

Avian influenza, or bird flu, is for the birds for now.  That's to say that you can only get it by being near infected birds.  It's most concentrated in south east and east asia for now.  Bird flu has not been able to transfer from person to person effectively.  If it were able to mutate to be able to transfer from person to person easily then it could become pandemic flu but that's not expected according to current research.  Bird flu is like pandemic flu in that it causes much more severe symptoms than the regular seasonal flu.

[seb89]

I was recently in Thailand, about 3-4 weeks after getting back, I got a HORRIBLE unknown sickness.  The worst body pain I have every experiences (muscle cramping and joint aches).  It started with a few nights of night sweating followed by headache and slight fever.  Then I had blurred vision accompanied by myalgia and malaise, and SEVERE fatigue and diarrhea.  Additionally a few days after my symptoms, I must have passed it on to my Mom's fiance, as I was staying with her for a few days.

Is there some SUPER BUG that is WAY more painful, like I SERIOUSLY thought I was dying and my Mom's fiancee said the same thing, he thought he was going to die.  I have a REALLY powerful immune system so for this to take me 10 days to overcome, is really freaky.  I have to say that if this is a new strain of flu or virus, I will find it VERY hard to believe that elderly or young children will be able to survive it.

I just got back blood test results and everything was clean.