Pandemic Flu Basics
Pandemic flu and Bird flu are not the same.
What is a pandemic?
A pandemic is an outbreak of disease that affects many people at the same time in many parts of the world.
What is "the flu?"
The flu (Influenza) is a highly contagious viral infection that begins in the respiratory tract. It can lead to serious complications including pneumonia or even death. Three types of flu are seasonal flu, bird flu (avian flu), and pandemic flu.
Seasonal flu?
- A common disease people get each year. It causes cough, fever, and body aches.
- Usually not severe and most people recover on their own.
- Most serious risk to the very young or old, or those with other serious or chronic medical problems.
- People usually have some immunity to it from having had flu before or from having received flu shots in the past which have given them some immunity.
- An estimated 36,000 people in the U.S. die from flu in an average flu season.
Bird ("avian") flu:
- Is mainly a disease of birds. Some birds can get very sick and die from it; other birds can spread it, but have no symptoms.
- Rarely, a bird virus can infect humans.
- One type of bird flu found in Asia is called H5N1.
- H5N1 hardly ever infects people, but when it does it can kill them. Most people who have gotten sick had close contact with infected birds.
Pandemic flu:
- Is a disease in humans. Pandemics can range from mild to severe.
- It happens when an animal flu virus has changed so that it can infect humans and spread easily from person to person.
- It could come from a bird flu, maybe H5N1.
- It could cause serious illness and many deaths because no one has had it before and no one has immunity to it.
- It is caused by a new virus so there is no vaccine (flu shot) for it. It would take months after a pandemic begins for a vaccine to be ready.
Has a flu pandemic ever happened before?
Yes. There have been outbreaks of pandemic flu in the past and there will likely be more in the future. In the past century there were three flu pandemics. In 1918 the "Spanish Influenza" killed more than 500,000 people in the United States and, according to some estimates, 50 million people worldwide. In 1957-58 the Asian flu caused approximately 68,000 deaths in the United States, and in 1968-69, the Hong Kong flu caused up to 34,000 deaths in the United States.
Can scientists predict when the next pandemic flu will happen?
No.
Is Pandemic Flu like the flu that happens every year?
The flu that happens every year is seasonal flu. Some of the symptoms of seasonal flu might be present in a pandemic flu. But a severe pandemic flu can very rapidly cause complications in healthy people that are far more serious than seasonal flu complications.
If bird flu comes to Larimer County, does that mean we are going to have pandemic flu?
No. Even if bird flu infects birds in Larimer County it does not mean that we have pandemic flu. The bird flu virus must change in a way to infect humans who then can pass it easily from human to human before it can become pandemic.
Will pandemic flu arrive overnight, without warning?
Chances are we will be aware of the presence of a pandemic flu before it arrives in Larimer County. Scientists worldwide are closely watching bird populations carrying the H5N1 virus and will likely know if and when easy human to human transmission is first observed. But, once pandemic flu has started, it will spread very rapidly among people. International travel is common and someone carrying a highly infective flu might infect others as they travel, before they even know they have the flu themselves. Pandemic flu could arrive in the United States from another country in just the time it takes for an overseas flight. This is why it is best to be informed and take steps to be prepared NOW, before a pandemic occurs.
What happens when a pandemic hits a community?
Because of the highly infective nature of a pandemic flu virus, many people in a community would be ill in a very short period of time. The illness hits hard and spreads quickly. Some people may wake up feeling fine and be bedridden by noon. Those who are sick would be physically unable to perform their usual daily tasks. It is likely that many would die, also in a very short period of time.
An outbreak could affect critical community functions very quickly. With people becoming ill or needing to care for family members who are ill, absenteeism could be high and businesses and government would be hard-pressed to conduct business as usual. Hospitals could fill up quickly, yet health care workers would be among the ill so staffing would be low. Transportation and interstate commerce could be slowed causing shortages of food and supplies. These things can also happen in the event of other widespread illness, or as a result of natural or man-made disasters.
These possible outcomes could be made less devastating if individuals and communities, such as Larimer County, are prepared.
What can I do?
Be informed. Be prepared. And make a plan. The information in this website will help you begin.
For more information on Pandemic Flu, Bird flu, or Seasonal Flu, visit the following websites:
