Firm figures on just how many people have the illness are tough to come by.

CNN: Swine flu goes to college

Clearly, there are people who have not come but how many we will never know.

BBC: F1 pledge to beat weather

As anyone who has ever organised an event knows, one of the most vexatious problems is knowing how many people are going to sign up and, importantly, actually come along.

FORBES: Togather: Crowdsourcing Author Appearances

No matter how many new digital tools come out, the common denominator is still people.

FORBES: Digital Classrooms: Is The Investment Paying Off?

That is if you consider success to come in the form of views as in how many people viewed a particular video you posted to YouTube which personified your wantonness to take it to the streets.

FORBES: How One Brand Continually Proves It Has Street Smarts

How many people would have the ability to get back out of that hospital bed and get in a wheelchair and come in and vote, vote for this?

WHITEHOUSE: Remembering Senator Robert Byrd

George Bush had an army of evangelicals working for him in 2004. and the question is, even if people will hold their nose and vote for John McCain - if there are conservatives, how many of them will come out and man the phone banks and actually work their tails off for him.

NPR: Conservatives a Test for McCain After Romney's Exit