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What is a pandemic?
The word "pandemic" is used to describe a disease that affects people on a
worldwide scale. Flu pandemics have occurred roughly every 20 to 30 years
throughout history, the most serious being the misnamed "Spanish flu" of 1918,
the "Asian flu" of 1957 and the "Hong Kong flu" of 1968.
Three conditions must be met to result in a pandemic:
- The emergence of a new flu strain
- The ability of that strain to infect humans and cause serious illness
- The ability to spread easily among humans
Influenza pandemic is inevitable
Most experts agree that the question is not if another flu pandemic will
occur but when. But while some scientists worry that the current
situation indicates a looming pandemic, others doubt that there is any immediate
danger.
Regardless of whether a pandemic occurs in the next year or the next 50 years,
the consensus among public health officials is that we should prepare
ourselves for this eventuality now.
The CDC has developed a comprehensive pandemic planning toolkit which is updated
regularly. Find it at www.pandemicflu.gov.
Learn how seasonal flu differs from a pandemic flu.
Find out who is most at risk for a pandemic flu.
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Tell-A-Colleague
