How is a pandemic flu spread?
Influenza is spread from person to person primarily through respiratory secretions, the same way seasonal influenza viruses and other common respiratory infections spread. Respiratory secretions are virus-containing droplets (such as spit or mucous) that are spread when infected persons cough or sneeze or even just talk or laugh. These droplets can then be inhaled into the mouth, nose, and throat of persons who are within three to six feet of the ill person. The virus may also be spread through contact with the same infectious respiratory secretions on the hands of an infected person and other objects and surfaces that the infected person has touched. Because international travel is so common, viruses are spread rapidly in a shorter amount of time. The contagiousness of most influenza viruses also contributes to the spread of illness since infected people may be contagious before they show symptoms. In most cases these individuals will continue to spread the disease for days after they
