What is Pandemic Influenza?
Pandemic flu occurs when a new flu virus rapidly spreads from country to country around the world, causing a global outbreak of serious respiratory illness that spreads easily from person to person. The swift spread of a pandemic flu happens because people are not immune to the new flu virus, and an effective vaccine would take months to develop. Depending on the nature of the virus, many people could become seriously ill and many people could die. Pandemics are not seasonal. A flu pandemic can happen at any time of year. By contrast, seasonal flu is the usual flu that occurs in the late fall, winter, and early spring.
Influenza – “flu” – is widely familiar, causing epidemics every year. Influenza viruses spread very well from person to person. A pandemic is an influenza epidemic so large that the entire world is affected. Two main conditions are required for an influenza pandemic: the influenza virus strain must be novel to the human population (so that most of the population does not already have some immunity to it), and it must be able to spread efficiently from person to person.
Influenza – “flu” – is widely familiar, causing epidemics every year. Influenza viruses spread very well from person to person. A pandemic is an influenza epidemic so large that the entire world is affected. Two main conditions are required for an influenza pandemic: the influenza virus strain must be novel to the human population (so that most of the population does not already have some immunity to), and it must be able to spread efficiently from person to person.
