Pandemic Flu, Ordinary Flu and Avian Flu
Ordinary Flu
Ordinary flu occurs every year during the winter months in
the UK.
- It affects 10-15% of the UK population, causing around 12,000
deaths every year.
- Globally, epidemics of ‘ordinary’ flu are thought
to kill between 500,000 – 1 million people every year.
- Most people recover from ordinary flu within 1 - 2 weeks
without requiring medical treatment.
- Deaths are generally confined to ‘at risk’ groups
including:
- Elderly people over 65 years of age
- People with existing medical conditions such as lung diseases,
diabetes, cancer, kidney or heart problems
- People whose immune systems are compromised due to HIV/AIDS
or because they have a transplant, for example
- The very young
- The vaccine against ordinary flu is effective because the
strain in circulation each winter can be fairly reliably predicted.
- Annual vaccinations, when the correct virus strain is fairly
reliably predicted, and antiviral drugs are available for
those at serious risk.
Pandemic Flu
Pandemic flu occurs roughly every thirty years and can take
place in any season.
- It affects many more people than ‘ordinary’
flu – a quarter or more of the population – and
is associated with much higher rates of illness and death.
For example, the worst flu pandemic last century – 1918
‘Spanish Flu’, caused around 250,000 deaths in
UK alone and up to 40 million deaths worldwide.
- Pandemic flu, usually associated with a higher severity
of illness and consequently a higher risk of death, represents
a much more serious infection that ordinary flu.
- People of all age groups may be at risk of infection with
pandemic flu, not just ‘at risk’ groups.
- A vaccine against pandemic flu will not be available at
the start of the pandemic. This is because the virus strain
will be completely new. It will be different from the viruses
that circulated the previous winter, and not predictable in
the same way.
- Antiviral drugs may be limited in supply; their use depending
on evidence of their efficacy that will only emerge once the
pandemic is under way.
Avian Flu
Bird – or avian – flu is caused by a virus that
usually infects birds (particularly poultry) but occasionally
crosses the species barrier and infects humans – recently
predominantly in the far East, although it also happens elsewhere.
- Until recently, avian flu was thought to affect people rarely
and usually cause only mild disease such as conjunctivitis.
Since 1997, however, one strain of bird flu – H5N1 –
has been associated with a very high death rate when people
have been affected.
- There is no evidence of infection due to eating poultry
meat that has been thoroughly cooked.
Influenza Vaccine
- The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)
[an independent advisory committee] advises the Government
on issues relating to immunisation. It will make recommendations
to the Government for prioritising groups for vaccination.
- Antiviral agents can be used to prevent influenza, for example
in the early stages of a pandemic. But, again, until the virus
starts circulating it is not possible to know how effective
antivirals will be, or the best way to use them. The UK is
building up a stockpile of antiviral drugs against the contingency
of an influenza pandemic. We will be directed when these should
be issued – until then we will not be issuing prescriptions
for these drugs.
Reduce your risk and protect yourself and your family.
You can reduce, but not eliminate, the risk of catching or
spreading influenza during a pandemic by:
- Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing,
using a tissue when possible.
- Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully –
bag and bin them.
- Avoiding non-essential travel and large crowds whenever
possible.
- Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing your
hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread
of the virus from your hands to your face, or to other people.
- Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. kitchen work tops, door handles)
frequently, using a normal cleaning product.
- Make sure your children follow this advice.
If you do catch flu:
- Stay home and rest
- Take medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetamol
to relieve the symptoms (following the instructions with the
medicines). Children under 16 must not be given aspirin or
ready-made flu remedies containing aspirin.
- Drink plenty of fluids
Antibiotics? Flu jab-? Influenza is a virus, so antibiotics
will not work unless the influenza has led to a bacterial
illness that requires treatment.
- If you are over 65 or in any of the ‘at risk’
groups due an ‘ordinary’ flu jab you should have
it
Further information can be found on the DoH website –
www.dh.gov.uk |
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