Get Email Updates. To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address. What's this? Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link. This link between widespread infection in poultry and increased risk of human infection has been demonstrated in some Asian countries, where small numbers of humans continue to be infected each year from A H5N1 caught from their domestic poultry.
WHO has stressed the urgency of the situation and the need if possible for rapid action in the animal and agricultural sectors. Rapid action in both of these situations potentially averted an influenza pandemic in humans.
However as a reality check it has to be remembered that there are many parts of the world where the surveillance of influenza in domestic poultry and animals and the people who work or live closely with them is weak or non-existent. In those countries, mass culling cannot be done. Yes — it certainly could. Though in a sense it does not matter where a pandemic starts it will come to affect your country eventually, as in there are advantages to pandemics coming later to your country as it gives a chance to see what a pandemic is like first in another country and give some time for final preparation.
No — for a number of reasons. Firstly some people can be immune because of some similarity between the pandemic virus and older viruses to which people have been exposed. Secondly there will always be people who are more likely to have severe disease if they are infected — usually people with underlying diseases, pregnant women and older people — people in so called risk groups.
However, the precise risk groups vary from one pandemic to another. They were not in the pandemic. However they may be given in a pandemic at the usual time of year, shortly before a pandemic vaccine becomes available because it is unknown whether or not seasonal viruses will also be circulating. The main class of drugs available are the neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanimivir and some countries have national stockpiles of these drugs as a back up to the drugs available through the usual sources.
These drugs were generally beneficial in the pandemic, especially if given early in the illness. They are particularly beneficial for those at higher risk of developing complications and in the period between the pandemic starting and new specific vaccines becoming available. Pandemic influenza. Questions and answers on influenza pandemics Influenza pandemic preparedness. Questions and answers on influenza pandemics.
Twitter Facebook Linked In Mail. What is influenza? What is a pandemic? Definition of a Pandemic The internationally accepted definition of a pandemic as it appears in the Dictionary of Epidemiology is straightforward and well-known: 'an epidemic occurring worldwide, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people'. WHO developed a more technical set of requirements for a pandemic: The emergence of influenza A virus significant different genetically from circulating human influenza A viruses i.
WHO pandemic phases Phases Description One No animal influenza virus circulating among animals has been reported to cause infection in humans. Two An animal influenza virus circulating in domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in humans and is therefore considered a specific potential pandemic threat. Three An animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus has caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks.
Four Human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to sustain community-level outbreaks has been verified. Pandemic Five The same identified virus has caused sustained community level outbreaks in two or more countries in one WHO region. Six In addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5, the same virus has caused sustained community level outbreaks in at least one other country in another WHO region. Post-peak Levels of pandemic influenza in most countries with adequate surveillance have dropped below peak levels.
Possible new wave Level of pandemic influenza activity in most countries with adequate surveillance rising again. Seasonal influenza Post-pandemic Levels of influenza activity have returned to the levels seen for seasonal influenza in most countries with adequate surveillance. What happens during a pandemic — how many people are affected? During a flu pandemic, antiviral drugs would be an important tool to treat and prevent the spread of influenza illness.
Antiviral drugs are medicines pills, liquid or an inhaled powder that fight against the influenza viruses infecting the respiratory tract. Antiviral drugs are recommended to treat seasonal influenza in people who are very sick or who are at high risk of serious flu complications. These same drugs may be useful for treating pandemic influenza, depending upon whether the pandemic influenza virus is susceptible or resistant to available antiviral drugs.
Antiviral drugs are prescription drugs they are not sold over-the-counter and are different from prescription antibiotics that treat bacterial infections. Nonpharmaceutical interventions, or NPIs , are actions, apart from getting vaccinated and taking medicine, which people and communities can take to help slow the spread of respiratory illnesses, like pandemic flu.
Again, these actions do not include medicines, vaccines, or other pharmaceutical interventions. Given that it may take months to produce a pandemic flu vaccine not included in the pre-pandemic vaccine stockpile and that antiviral drugs may be reserved for treatment, NPIs will likely be the only prevention tools available during the early stages of a pandemic and, thus, critically important to help slow the spread of infection. NPIs , also known as community mitigation strategies, may be more efficient when used early in a flu pandemic and in a layered fashion.
Public health officials will recommend that people practice everyday preventive actions at all times. These actions include staying home when sick, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue, washing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces and objects.
During severe, very severe, or extreme flu pandemics, public health officials may recommend additional actions, such as using facemasks when sick and in close contact with other people, temporarily dismissing child care facilities and schools, and increasing the space between people and decreasing the frequency of contact among people that is, social distancing.
CDC has developed an updated set of guidelines, called the Community Mitigation Guidelines to Prevent Pandemic Influenza — United States, , supplemental plain-language guides for specific community groups, and online communication and education materials that outline strategies for planning and preparing for a flu pandemic and for using nonpharmaceutical interventions NPIs.
A novel influenza flu virus is an influenza A virus that has caused human infection and which is different from current human seasonal influenza A viruses. Any novel influenza A virus , such as those of avian or swine origin, has the potential to cause an influenza pandemic. Some novel flu A viruses are believed to pose a greater pandemic threat and are more concerning to public health officials than others because they have already caused serious human illness and death and also have been able to spread in a limited manner from person to person.
Novel influenza A viruses are of extra concern because of the potential impact they could have on public health if they gained the ability to spread from person-to-person easily and thus trigger an influenza pandemic. Pandemic preparedness. How pandemic influenza emerges.
Pandemic vaccines. Pandemic Influenza Risk Management Guidance
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