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Last Updated: Friday, August 8, 2008 at 12:56 PM EDT

Avian Flu Pandemic Preparedness

Seasonal flu vs. Pandemic flu

The symptoms of pandemic flu are likely to be similar to the seasonal flu virus. For example, sudden onset of high temperature, muscle aches and pains, extreme tiredness, cough, sore throat and stuffy or runny nose.
It may take two to seven days to show symptoms when a person catches the flu and the symptoms may last for up to a week. A person infected with the flu can usually transmit the flu one to two days before they have symptoms and four to five days after symptoms start.

The seasonal flu is caused by a flu virus already circulating in the human population. A pandemic flu will be caused by a flu virus that has not circulated among people. Seasonal flu occurs at about the same time every year, beginning in December and ending in March. Most people who get seasonal flu recover within a week or two and do not require medical treatment. The very young, the very old and the very sick are most likely to become seriously ill from seasonal flu.

Pandemic flu is more serious than a "typical" flu. It is caused by a new flu strain that humans have not been exposed to, so they have no natural resistance or immunity to it. Pandemic flu is different from seasonal flu because it infects large numbers of people of different ages all over the world and causes serious illness and deaths. During a pandemic people are more likely to get the flu and it is more likely to be deadly, particularly among young and healthy people.

Although there is no certainty as to when or if a pandemic influenza outbreak might occur, we need to take this subject seriously and prepare ourselves for the worst-case scenario.

Duration of an influenza pandemic

Influenza pandemics may come in two or more waves several months apart, and each wave will last six to eight weeks in a particular location. It is difficult to predict how far apart the pandemic waves will occur. In the 1957 pandemic, the second wave began three months after the first wave, but in the 1968 pandemic, the second wave began 12 months after the first wave.

Potential impact of the pandemic flu on the community

Because most people will be fully susceptible to a pandemic influenza virus, local rates of illness could peak fairly rapidly. This could cause large numbers of people seeking medical or hospital treatment, temporarily overwhelming health services. High rates of worker absenteeism can also interrupt other essential services, such as law enforcement, transportation and communications. This means that local social and economic disruptions may be temporary. They may, however, be amplified in today's closely interrelated and interdependent systems of trade and commerce. Based on past experience, a second wave of global spread should be anticipated within a year.

Vaccine?

Unlike seasonal flu, there is no vaccine for pandemic flu until researchers and pharmaceutical companies are able to create one, which takes time. Even if a vaccine is developed for pandemic flu, manufacturing and dispensing the vaccine to everyone in a timely manner will be a challenge.

What you can do to prepare now

Without a vaccine or cure, the keys to preventing the spread of pandemic influenza are knowing and using the facts about transmission. An informed and responsive public is essential to reducing the spread and impact of pandemic flu. We urge individuals and communities to accept responsibility and take action to reduce the possibility of influenza infection and transmission, whether the avian flu becomes a human pandemic or not. Stay tuned for the latest information available on the avian flu and listen to instructions and advice from government agencies and the Red Cross.

The best way to protect yourself and others is to practice healthy hygiene in order to prevent the spread of germs now and during a flu pandemic. Practicing these actions now will make them easier to do later. These actions include:

Preparing Your Disaster Supplies Kit

During a flu pandemic, public health officials may impose community-level restrictions to prevent the flu virus from spreading. You may be asked to stay home for an extended period of time even though you are not sick. Schools, workplaces and places of worship may be closed temporarily and mass transportation such as subways, trains and air travel may be limited. You can prepare for self-isolation during extended periods of time by taking these actions now:

American Red Cross Role

As with many emerging public health or bio-terrorism threats, the dialogue will continue and planning will evolve as scientists learn more and medical facts become available. We will continue to revisit, update and refine our plans based on the most current findings available and in coordination with our local, statewide and national partners.

Our Red Cross is involved in local discussions and coordination with the Offices of Emergency Management, Departments of Health, and other community partners for effective planning, preparedness and response. The Red Cross will look for appropriate opportunities to support emerging community needs in response to an influenza pandemic while ensuring the safety of our workers.

As a humanitarian organization we help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. In the past, the Red Cross has responded to other public health emergencies, including tuberculosis, influenza and polio epidemics in the 1940s and 1950s. We were also on the forefront of public education to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic that began in the 1980s. The Red Cross response now expands to meet the current threat that an influenza pandemic could pose to public health.

For additional information

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