|
Information to Help You Prepare
Printable Guides to Preparing for Pandemic Flu (Requires Adobe Acrobat)
English - on legal sized paper
Spanish - on legal sized paper
To download Adobe Acrobat Reader , click on the icon below . This is a free download .
What is pandemic influenza?
Pandemic influenza or pandemic flu is a worldwide outbreak of flu in people. Pandemic flu is caused by a new flu virus to which humans have no immunity. The flu virus that causes a pandemic can spread easily from person to person and may cause large numbers of people to get sick and die. Currently, there is no flu pandemic.
What is seasonal influenza?
Seasonal influenza (or the common flu) occurs every year. It can cause headaches, fever, sore throat, coughing and tiredness in people. Seasonal flu is spread from person to person via respiratory droplets. An infected person can spread the disease by sneezing and coughing which release droplets into the air. People can get sick either by breathing in those droplets or by touching their eyes, noses or mouths without washing their hands after touching surfaces or objects previously touched by an infected person. Each year, a vaccine is available to protect people from getting the common flu.
Avian influenza or bird flu is a disease in birds. Bird flu is caused by viruses found naturally in birds. There are many different strains of bird flu viruses. Bird flu viruses rarely cause sickness in humans.
What is H5N1?
H5N1 is a deadly strain of bird flu virus that is causing ongoing outbreaks in poultry in many parts of the world. The H5N1 virus has infected over 200 people worldwide since 2003. Very limited person to person spread of the H5N1 virus has occurred. However, close contact with sick or dying birds is the main route of human infection. The H5N1 bird flu virus is not found in the United States at this time.
Can I get bird flu from eating chicken or turkey?
No . A person cannot catch bird flu by eating properly cooked chicken or turkey. Be sure to thoroughly wash your hands after handling raw poultry. Cooking utensils used to prepare raw poultry should be disinfected after use.
Return to Top of Page
What should I do if I find a dead bird?
Report any crows, ravens, magpies and jays that have been dead for less than 24 hours. A visual guide to bird identification can be found at: http://westnile.ca.gov/bird_report_id.htm .
CDHS has established a toll free line: 877-WNV-BIRD for public reporting and disposal instructions. Birds can also be reported by visiting the WNV Web site at http://vector.ucdavis.edu/cfm/deadbird.cfm If you need to pick up a dead bird, or local authorities tell you to simply dispose of it, avoid barehanded contact with any dead animals, and use gloves or an inverted plastic bag to place the bird carcass in a garbage bag.
Is pandemic influenza and avian influenza the same thing?
No, pandemic flu is not the same thing as bird flu. A pandemic describes a global outbreak of disease. A flu pandemic is a global outbreak of flu in people. Any new human flu virus can potentially cause a pandemic. Bird flu is primarily a disease in birds. On occasion, bird flu viruses have infected humans, as is the case with the H5N1 virus. But bird flu viruses cannot cause a human pandemic without first undergoing changes that allow them to easily infect humans and be spread easily from person to person.
Why should we be concerned about avian influenza?
The H5N1 bird flu virus can cause deadly disease in humans. It has infected 232 people (as of August 2006) since 2003. Over half of those infected have died. ( WHO Cumulative Number of Confirmed Human Cases of Avian Influenza ).
The H5N1 bird flu virus could potentially change into a human pandemic flu virus (one that easily infects humans and is spread easily from person to person).
How does a pandemic get started?
A human flu pandemic begins when a non-human flu virus, such as a bird flu virus, changes to be able to easily infect humans and spread easily from person to person. These changes have not occurred with the H5N1 bird flu virus. However, public health experts are concerned that with the continued spread of the H5N1 virus around the world, the virus could change into a form that can cause a human pandemic.
How likely is it that we will see a flu pandemic in our lifetime?
No one can predict when a pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. On average, a pandemic has occured every 30 to 40 years over the last 400 years. There were three flu pandemics duirng the 1900's. The most deadly took place in 1918. Known as the Spanish Flu, the 1918 flu pandemic killed 20 to 40 million people worldwide and millions more fell ill. Two other flu pandemics took place in 1957 and 1968.
What could happen during a flu pandemic ?
- Public health experts estimate that in the US, 90 million people may become ill and over 200,000 people may die in a moderate flu pandemic scenario.
- In San Luis Obispo County, an influenza pandemic could result in as many as 5,000 illnesses and 1,000 or more deaths
- Outbreaks are expected to occur simultaneously throughout much of the US, limiting outside assistance that normally occurs with other natural disasters.
- As much as 40% of working adults may not be able to work due to illness, family member care, death, or fear of infection.
- Many businesses may close due to reduced staff, supply shortages and/or social distancing measures.
- A number of community containment measures may be implemented for disease control - schools and daycare centers may be closed, travel restrictions may be in place, and isolation and quarantines may be implemented.
- Hospitals and other health care facilities may be overwhelmed.
- Vaccines and certain medications may be in short supply.
Return to Top of Page
How can we protect ourselves in the event of a flu pandemic?
Flu is spread from person to person through respiratory droplets. This can happen if droplets from the coughs or sneezes of a sick person travel through air and reach a nearby person's mouth or nose. Someone who touches respiratory droplets of a sick person (via handshakes or touching soiled objects and surface  s), and then touches his/her own mouth or nose without first washing their hands can also be infected.
Protect yourself and your family by doing the following:
-
Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water.
-
Do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands.
-
Cover your coughs and sneezes with shirt sleeve or tissue-Do not use your hands.
-
Stay home when you are sick
-
Eat a balanced diet.
-
Exercise frequently.
-
Get the yearly seasonal flu vaccine.
-
If you are over 65, get the Pneumococcal vaccine in addition to the yearly flu vaccine.
|