The Panchen Lama also described the uniqueness of the famine that Tibet suffered from: "There was never such an event in the history of Tibet. People could not even imagine such horrible starvation in their dreams. In some areas if one person catches a cold, then it spreads to hundreds and large numbers simply die."
The Panchen Lama noted the singular nature of the famine that afflicted Tibet: "This was an unprecedented event in Tibetan history; people could hardly conceive such extreme hunger in their most disturbing dreams. In some areas, a single person's illness would spread to hundreds, and many would perish."