Published by Bupa's Health Information Team, May 2011.
This factsheet is for people who would like information about pandemic flu.
A pandemic is a worldwide outbreak of a disease that affects many people in different countries. An influenza, or flu, pandemic happens when a new type of flu virus spreads easily and quickly across the world.
A flu virus is classed as a pandemic when:
An epidemic is when more people are affected by a disease than usual. A pandemic is a worldwide epidemic.
Pandemic flu is similar to seasonal flu – the normal type of flu that tends to happen at around the same time every year – but the symptoms can be more severe. This is because few people will be able to fight off the infection easily, as it’s significantly different to previous forms of flu they have had.
More people are infected with the flu virus during a pandemic than are affected by seasonal flu. Seasonal flu tends to affect people in the winter, but pandemic flu can happen at any time of the year.
In the twentieth century there have been several flu pandemics, including the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918 and 1919 that killed millions of people around the world. In 2009 there was a flu pandemic of the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu).
It's difficult to predict when a pandemic will happen, which virus might cause it, or how many people might be affected. Pandemic flu can affect anyone, even the fit and healthy.
When you catch flu, it usually takes two to three days for your symptoms to show.
Pandemic flu usually causes the same type of symptoms as seasonal flu. Flu viruses grow in the soft, warm surfaces of your nose, throat, sinuses, airways and lungs, so this is where you usually get the symptoms. The symptoms of flu include:
Symptoms usually last for about a week, but you may feel tired for a few weeks.
If you think you have developed the symptoms of flu during a pandemic, you may be advised not to see your GP. However, if you're pregnant or have other health problems, such as diabetes or heart disease, you should see your GP. Follow advice from the Department of Health about what to do in the event of a pandemic.
Healthy adults usually recover completely from seasonal flu in a few weeks. However, when pandemic flu develops it’s difficult to know how severe the infection will be or how it may affect people. This is because the virus is new. Some groups of people may be affected more than others.
The complications of flu can include:
Young children can sometimes have seizures or fits called febrile convulsions. These are caused by their high body temperature.
The proteins that make up the flu virus are constantly changing (mutating). A flu pandemic can occur if there is a more dramatic change to the flu virus than is usually seen every year. This can happen if there is a mix of forms of flu from different species, such as birds or pigs, with a human form of flu. This is called an antigenic shift. This mix of different viruses can make a new, unique virus that no one will be immune to.
Flu viruses are very infectious. Most people catch flu by breathing in air that has the virus in it. This usually happens when people with flu cough or sneeze, which spreads the virus in the air.
You can also catch flu through direct contact with someone who has it, for example by shaking hands or by touching something they have touched. If you pick up the flu virus on your hands and then touch your nose or mouth, you may infect yourself. The flu virus can live on hard surfaces for up to 24 hours and on soft surfaces for about 20 minutes.
If you have flu, you are infectious and can spread the virus to other people, from the day when your symptoms start to five days afterwards. Children are infectious for longer.
You won't usually need to see your GP if you have symptoms of flu during a flu pandemic. If your symptoms get worse or last longer than a week, or if you have a medical condition that may make flu worse, you should see your GP.
If you have flu, you shouldn't visit your GP unless your symptoms get worse. There are a number of things you can do at home to help reduce your symptoms.
Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine and if you have any questions, ask your pharmacist for advice. If your child is under 16 years old, don’t give him or her aspirin or any medicines containing aspirin.
Antiviral medicines are sometimes used to treat flu during a pandemic. However, until a flu pandemic starts, doctors can't be sure that antiviral medicines will work with that particular flu virus.
Antiviral medicines can't stop you getting flu, but they may reduce your symptoms and the length of time you’re ill. Antiviral medicines work best if you take them within 48 hours of your symptoms starting.
Antiviral medicines are usually only given to people who are at risk of severe illness if they catch flu, or to healthcare workers who care for those who are ill.
Antibiotics won't help with flu symptoms, as they only work on bacterial infections.
Pandemic flu can't be prevented, but there are a number of things you can do to reduce the spread of the virus and your risk of catching it. Some of the main ones are listed below.
Make sure that your children follow these guidelines too.
Vaccines are always available for seasonal forms of flu, but when a pandemic begins, it usually takes several months to make a new vaccine. In a pandemic flu period, once the vaccine becomes available, talk to your GP about whether you're in a risk group that should receive the vaccine. The risk groups identified for the vaccine are subject to change, but usually include people aged over 65, and those with underlying diseases such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
For answers to frequently asked questions on this topic, see Common questions.
For sources and links to further information, see Resources.
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This information was published by Bupa's Health Information Team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been reviewed by appropriate medical or clinical professionals. Photos are only for illustrative purposes and do not reflect every presentation of a condition. The content is intended only for general information and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional. For more details on how we produce our content and its sources, visit the About our Health Information page.
Publication date: May 2011
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