WHAT IS A FLU PANDEMIC?

With the talk of avian flu and bird flu, there is also a lot of discussion in the news about a pandemic and the likelihood that one will happen. What is a pandemic? Deriving from the word “epidemic,” a “pandemic” is a disease or illness that affects people worldwide.

Pandemics, sometimes referred to as pandemic flu, differ from seasonal flu because of what each is caused by. Seasonal flu is caused by flu viruses that already exist among us. Since people will get this type of flu yearly, we have immunity and the ability to fight it. However, pandemic flu is caused by newly formed virus types that are foreign to our bodies; as a result, the human immune system is unable to fight the virus effectively. Since humans can’t fight the virus, a pandemic is born. For more information on pandemic flu, please visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov.

Will There Be a Flu Pandemic Soon?

Given the unpredictable behavior of influenza viruses, neither the timing nor the severity of the next pandemic can be predicted with any certainty. Medical professionals and other experts believe that the world may be the closest it's been to a flu pandemic since 1968 — the year the last pandemic took place. However, these are just predictions and nothing is definite.

Something you can be assured of is that Governments are taking steps to prepare in the event of a flu pandemic. They're stockpiling antiviral medications in the hope of reducing the consequences of pandemic flu.