Avian Flu

Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a avian flu pandemic is not a question of if but when. For each year the pandemic is put off, it is another year our country has to prepare. According to the CDC, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized with influenza each year and 36,000 die. These people are usually elderly, young children or those having chronic medical conditions.

Every year we experience a seasonal influenza virus that infects only people and occurs all over the world. New strains appear and humans have some immunity in the form of background memory. In addition, influenza vaccines are updated each year to combat the common effects of the flu.

Avian influenza, on the other hand, is a bird influenza strain. Typically birds are not affected by the avian influenza but a new subtype of avian influenza that is unfamiliar to domestic poultry and people (Avian Influenza A – H5N1) appeared in late 2003, killingmore than 150 million chickens, ducks and other bird species and infecting 18 people, six of whom have died. The area most greatly affected thus far has been Southeast Asia but it is moving westward.

In order to be described as a pandemic, three requirements must be met:

1. It must be a new human influenza A subtype.
2. It must cause serious illness.
3. It spreads easily from human to human.

The first two prerequisites have been met, but not the last.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has developed a strategic pandemic plan including expanding vaccine manufacturing capacity and testing of effective countermeasures. However, these measures will take time, and it is unclear how much time remains.

This website will be updated as new materials and information become available.

• Brochure: “It's Not Flu As Usual – What Businesses Need to Know about Pandemic Flu Planning,” produced by Trust for America 's Health, provides 10 steps your business can take to prepare.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• The White House
• White House Strategy for Pandemic Influenza

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