Pandemic flu occurs when a novel, highly infectious and dangerous strain of the influenza virus appears which can easily be transmitted from human to human and spreads rapidly throughout the globe, usually in a series of waves.

In contrast to the ‘ordinary’ or ‘seasonal’ flu outbreaks which we see every winter, flu pandemics occur infrequently usually every few decades. There were three last century. The most serious of these so called “Spanish Flu” caused up to 40 million deaths worldwide.

Swine influenza is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine influenza, but human infections can and do occur.

The most common occurrence of swine flu is with people who are around/work with pigs but it is possible for swine influenza viruses to spread from person to person. Recently, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) have been reported in 37 countries around the world, resulting in the world health organisation changing their pandemic alert status to phase 6.

It is important to be clear about the differences between avian, seasonal/epidemic and pandemic flu. Avian flu is a disease which mainly affects birds [e.g. H5n1]. Occasional cases of human transmission occur, with a very high [greater than 60%] mortality rate.

Swine influenza is caused by influenza viruses which are present in pigs. Sometimes, animals and humans can pass strains of influenza back and forth to one another, such as when humans become ill with avian or swine influenza, usually from direct contact with animals who are ill. Mixing of human and animal influenza viruses can lead to the development of altered viruses which have the ability to cause infection and spread in the human.

International effort will attempt to try to control a pandemic when it emerges. The World Health Organization has stockpiled supplies of antivirals which will be targeted to the infected area in order to try to slow or stop the spread.

This will be logistically very difficult if the disease starts in a rural part of South East Asia, the Middle East or Africa and efforts are likely to slow the spread of the disease rather than stop it.

The 1918 Spanish flu was called Blitzcattarh [lightning flu] in Germany at that time giving a vivid indication of the rapidity of onset of symptoms.

Past experience of pandemic flu suggests that the onset of symptoms is usually rapid, within an hour or two, with the onset of high fever, chills, muscle pains, headaches and prostration, as well as a variety of upper respiratory symptoms sore throat, cough, nasal congestion, and nose bleeds.

People infected with the current strain of the avian virus (h5n1) have shown everything from typical human influenza-like symptoms (fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches) to pneumonia, severe respiratory diseases and other life-threatening complications.

Symptoms of avian influenza may depend on which specific virus subtype and strain caused the infection.

Based on previous pandemics the incubation period is from one to three days with most infected persons becoming symptomatic within 24 to 48 hours of exposure.

Persons with symptoms of flu shed infectious virus particles for about five days. Children and those with impairment of the immune system may shed virus particles and consequently remain infectious for considerably longer.

People of all ages are susceptible to pandemic flu, but unlike episodic winter flu which causes more severe illness and morbidity in the very young and elderly, past experience demonstrates a high morbidity and mortality in fit healthy young adults contracting pandemic flu.

In 1918 thousands of previously fit and healthy young soldiers involved in the first world war died within days of contracting “panish flu“.

Medicines called antivirals can be used to treat influenza. They have been shown to be very helpful in the treatment of ordinary flu, and it is likely that they will also be effective in the treatment of pandemic flu, but their effectiveness will not be known until the pandemic virus is circulating.

Antivirals do not stop the flu from developing but they do lessen the symptoms and reduce the length of time people are sick.

Antiviral drugs are medicines for the treatment (and sometimes also prevention) of certain viral infections and are likely to play an important role in treating pandemic flu. The current drugs used for influenza are called neuraminidase inhibitors and include Oseltamivir [Tamiflu].

See Influenzaprotection.com to register your business for anti viral protection.

Anti-viral medication is a very effective way of reducing the spread of influenza. There are much more simple measures that can be taken which reduce the spread of influenza.

The most basic of these measures is effective hand and respiratory hygiene. You can reduce the risk of catching or spreading influenza during a pandemic by:

• when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue.
• throw away used, dirty tissues immediately.
• wash your hands frequently with soap and water – this is a very effective way of reducing the spread of the virus from your hands to your face or to other people, as the flu virus can survive for hours on inanimate objects, such as door handles, money and car-keys.

For further information, please visit www.hpa.org.u

If you have any questions please e-mail admin@influenzaprotection.co.uk