Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Fall 2006)
TOPIC: Are you ready for a pandemic?
 
by Richard Cox

 Many experts now are concerned about the possibility of an influenza pandemic.

This is different from the seasonal influenza that occurs every year in the fall and winter, causing fever and cold-like symptoms in most people and severe, even life-threatening illness in high-risk individuals. Medications can treat seasonal flu and an annual flu shot helps prevent it.

A flu pandemic could happen any season, causing severe illness and death in people and major disruptions to society. Thousands of people would have the disease or be  caring for ill family members.

There is no guarantee that there will be either medications to treat or vaccines to prevent the next flu pandemic.

Learning more about a flu pandemic is the first step to making sure you and your family are prepared.
Resources
 
  • www.pandemicflu.gov
    Avian flu and flu pandemic information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
     
  • www.readycolorado.com
    Tools and information to help people prepare for, respond to, and recover from any disaster, including a pandemic. Includes checklists.
     
  • www.larimer.org/health
    Local, state and national information on a flu pandemic from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment.

Q&A

What is an influenza pandemic (flu pandemic)?
An influenza pandemic occurs when a new flu virus appears that:
     •  Can infect humans and be easily transmitted among them,
     •  Can spread quickly around the world,
         and
     •  No one has been exposed to before, so no one has immunity to it.
About 3-4 pandemics occur per century. The last one — in 1968 — was relatively mild. A serious flu pandemic in 1918 killed around a half-million Americans.

Why should we care about a flu pandemic?
A severe influenza pandemic in Larimer County could overwhelm our healthcare system, close our schools and businesses, disrupt essential services and cause many deaths.

What is bird flu (avian flu)?
Avian (bird) flu is an influenza that primarily affects birds. However, it is not the same as a flu pandemic. A bird flu virus can change (mutate) in ways that allow it to infect people and spread easily among them. If that happens, it could be the beginning of a pandemic.

What is the bird flu virus H5N1, and will it turn into a flu pandemic?
The H5N1 virus is a bird flu virus now spreading through birds in much of the world. The H5N1 virus rarely infects humans, but it has. Most of those who have been infected by H5N1 likely got it from direct contact with infected birds. People with H5N1 have become very sick, and about half have died. No one knows if the H5N1 virus will change so that it can spread easily among people, but eventually some bird flu virus will change and could cause a pandemic. Even if birds bring the H5N1 virus to Larimer County, and a few people get sick, it does not mean that a flu pandemic has started.

How do we protect ourselves if a flu pandemic happens?
Start preparing now. Review for yourself and teach your children ways to prevent spreading germs (cover your cough, wash your hands, stay home when sick and get a seasonal flu shot). Be prepared for disruption of essential services. Gather food, water and other critical supplies and equipment before a pandemic starts. Use reliable information sources to educate yourself and your family about a flu pandemic. (See web sites above)