What is 'Pandemic Influenza' and what makes it different from ordinary flu?
Pandemic influenza is different from ‘ordinary’ seasonal flu, which for most people is an unpleasant illness but runs its natural course and is not life-endangering. Pandemic flu can occur when a new flu virus emerges which is markedly different from recently circulating strains and to which humans have little or no immunity. Because of this lack of immunity the virus is able to:
• infect more humans over a large geographical area;
• spread rapidly and efficiently from person to person;
• cause clinical illness in a proportion of those infected.
Who is at risk?
We cannot know which groups will be affected by pandemic flu until the virus emerges. However, we know from previous pandemics that a future one is likely to have a major impact worldwide and from experience of previous pandemics we know that it is not necessarily the young and the elderly that will be affected.
Symptoms
Pandemic flu is likely to cause the same symptoms as ordinary flu but may be more severe because nobody will have any immunity or protection against this virus.
How is the virus spread?
It is easily passed from person to person when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes and can also be spread through hand/face contact after touching anything that may become contaminated with the virus. Illness develops a few days (average 2-3) after being infected. Everyone is susceptible, although only about a quarter of the population are expected to become ill. Another 25% may catch the infection without getting any symptoms.
It is important to adopt basic hygiene measures to manage or reduce the risk of catching or spreading the virus:
• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and dispose of tissues carefully
• Wash your hands frequently to reduce the spread of the virus
• Should you catch this virus stay at home and follow the advise of the health professionals
More information on influenza can be found at www.nhs.uk/conditions/flu/Pages/Introduction.aspx (external link)
