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Pandemic Flu: An Overview
Every year, the flu kills approximately 36,000 to 40,000 Americans and hospitalizes more than 200,000.
Bad as that is, imagine an outbreak of flu that could infect 25 to 30 percent of the population. A flu for which no one has immunity and no vaccine is available.
It has happened before, and world health experts are predicting such an event could happen again in the near future.
A pandemic is an outbreak or epidemic of flu that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a large proportion of the population.
Because the outbreak occurs as a result of the development of a new strain of influenza, it is difficult to predict when or where it will happen, how severe it will be, or how many people may be affected.
Health professionals are concerned that the continued spread of a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 virus across eastern Asia and other countries represents a significant threat to human health and could become the next pandemic.
So far, the spread of H5N1 has been limited to exposure to infected poultry and there is not yet been any human-to-human transmission. Because viruses have the ability to change, scientists are concerned that the virus could one day be able to infect humans and easily spread from one person to another.
If this were to occur, the virus could spread rapidly from person to person, affecting all age groups. It would cause illness - perhaps even death - in a high proportion of those affected. And it may even sweep across the country and the world in waves, each of which might last for weeks or months at a time.
An effective vaccine will be our best defense against such an event. But it could be six months before such a vaccine becomes widely available, and in the meantime, medicine to treat the virus will almost certainly be in short supply.
To prevent the spread of the virus, government and health officials might have to close schools and businesses, restrict travel, and cancel public events and mass gatherings such as concerts, movie screenings and church services.
You may even be asked to remain in your home for several days.
None of this is very pleasant to think about. But it’s important that you understand the magnitude of what can happen during a pandemic outbreak and what actions you can take to help lessen the negative impact on you and your family.
Use this website as a guide to help you gather the information and resources you need to prepare.
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