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Frequently Asked Questions
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1. What is an influenza pandemic?
- An influenza pandemic is an outbreak of disease that occurs when there is a new flu virus that can spread from person-to-person. Because a pandemic virus is new, no one has immunity to it, so it spreads quickly around the world. There have been three influenza pandemics in this century - in 1918-19, 1957-58, and 1968-69.
2. Is there an influenza pandemic right now?
- NO. There is no influenza pandemic in the world right now.
3. Why are people so worried about avian “bird” flu right now?
- A new bird influenza virus has now spread across Asia, Africa, and Europe. This “bird flu” is called Avian H5N1 influenza. Experts are worried about this virus, which has caused millions of bird and poultry deaths. It has also caused serious illness and death in people who have had very close contact with sick birds or poultry.
- No one knows for sure that the H5N1 virus will cause a pandemic. But experts are worried because this new bird flu virus is widespread. There is a lot of contact between people and poultry and animals in Asia and Africa. Together, this means there is a bigger chance that the bird flu could change into a virus that can be spread from person to person. IF this were to happen, there could be a pandemic.
4. Are avian (bird) flu and pandemic influenza the same?
- NO! There is a big difference between avian influenza and pandemic influenza. Avian influenza infects mainly birds and poultry. It can also infect people or animals who have very close contact with sick birds or poultry. But bird flu is not easily spread from person to person, so it cannot cause a pandemic. A pandemic influenza could only happen if the virus changes so that it is passed easily from one person to another person. This kind of change has not happened with the avian H5N1 flu virus. THERE IS NO PANDEMIC INFLUENZA NOW. We expect that birds in California will get avian flu later this year. But that will still not mean that there is a pandemic.
5. Isn’t there a flu epidemic every year? What is different about a pandemic flu?
- Seasonal flu happens every winter. It is caused by a virus that is not very different from other flu viruses that people have been exposed to, so there is some immunity (the body’s protection system) to it in the community. A pandemic flu virus is so different from other flu viruses that there is no immunity to it. A pandemic virus will affect a lot more people, and could make even healthy people very sick. About 36,000 people die in the United States each year from seasonal flu. Experts think that many millions of people will die worldwide in a pandemic.
6. Will there be a pandemic soon?
- No one can predict when the next pandemic will happen. Just like earthquakes. Because we live near big earthquake faults, we know we will have a big earthquake some day. But we don’t know when “the big one” will happen, or just how big it will be. We also know that another pandemic will happen; but we can’t tell when, or how severe it will be.
7. If there is an influenza pandemic, what will happen?
- No one knows for sure what will happen if there is another pandemic influenza. In the 1918-19 pandemic, tens of millions of people died around the world. Schools were closed, businesses shut down, people stayed at home, doctors and hospitals were overwhelmed. But in the pandemics of 1957-58 and 1968-69, many Americans were not even aware that there was a pandemic, even though thousands of people died. There is no way to predict how severe the next pandemic will be. But, to be on the safe side, government agencies are preparing for the worst case.
8. How is influenza virus spread?
- Influenza virus is mainly spread when a sick person coughs or sneezes into the face of another person. It can also spread by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your face.
9. What can I do to protect against pandemic or regular influenza?
- The most important thing you can do to prevent or slow the spread of influenza is to wash your hands frequently and cover your cough.
- Wash your hands frequently. Wash hands before you prepare food, eat, or touch your face. Wash hands after you work or play outdoors, and after you touch things that many other people have touched.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with tissues. Cough or sneeze into your sleeve. Put used tissues in the trash and then wash your hands.
- Make sure you have soap and water or alcohol gel for hand washing in your home, your workplace, your school, and the places that you play
- Stay home when you are sick. Stay away from other people as much as possible when you are sick. Don’t send sick children to school.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Get a seasonal flu shot.
10. How would pandemic flu affect communities and businesses?
- If an influenza pandemic occurs, many people could become sick at the same time and would be unable to go to work. Many would stay at home to care for sick family members. Schools and businesses might close to try to prevent disease spread. Large group gatherings might be canceled. Public transportation might be reduced. Families, communities, schools, and businesses must prepare for pandemic influenza.
11. How can I help my family be prepared?
12. Couldn’t we just get a flu vaccine if there is a pandemic influenza?
- Influenza viruses change very quickly. Each year, manufacturers make a new vaccine, to protect against the specific kind of virus that is spreading around the world. It usually takes about 9 months to make a new vaccine that protects against a new flu virus. That means that there will probably not be any vaccine for a new pandemic influenza virus for at least the first 6 months after a pandemic started.
13. Are there medicines that treat flu?
- There are several different kinds of medicines that can fight influenza, called “antivirals”. One example is Tamiflu. Antiviral medicines have two uses. They can be used to treat people who have influenza, to make the illness less severe and last fewer days. The medicines can also be used to prevent someone from getting influenza even if they have been exposed. This is called “prophylaxis”.
14. Will there be enough antiviral medicine and vaccine for everyone if there is a pandemic?
- In a pandemic, there will not be enough antiviral medicine for everyone to prevent the flu. There may not be enough medicine to treat everyone who gets sick with influenza. There will also not be enough flu vaccine, even after an effective vaccine is developed.
15. Should families stockpile Tamiflu?
- NO, do not stockpile Tamiflu or other antiviral medicines. If many people get Tamiflu when it is not needed, there is a bigger chance that the virus will become resistant to the medicine and it will not work at all. We are not sure that Tamiflu will work against the particular type of virus that causes a pandemic. You should only take Tamiflu when a health care provider tells you it is the right medicine.
- Federal, state, and local governments are developing plans to distribute vaccines and antivirals in case of pandemic influenza. These plans are designed to make sure that basic services (such as water, sanitation, health care, fire, police) are maintained even if a very large number of people are absent from work, and to make sure that the fewest number of people die from pandemic flu.
16. Will a mask protect me from pandemic influenza?
- There is not enough information right now to make good scientific recommendations about the use of masks to protect someone from getting influenza.
- In a pandemic, people who are sick should use masks to help protect caretakers from the illness. People who are sick should also use masks if they absolutely must leave their house, to help protect others.
- Hospital and health care workers have a lot of exposure to people who are very sick. They should use a special type of mask called an N-95 respirator.
- N-95 respirators only protect against influenza if they are carefully fitted and properly used.
17. What else can be done to protect people in a pandemic?
- Government could ask you to try “social distancing” to slow the spread of the pandemic influenza. You could be asked to stay home from work or school, and to stay away from crowded places or groups.
- “Stay at home” days are meant to limit contact between people. If schools or businesses are closed, STAY HOME, and keep your children at home.
18. Will the government quarantine people in a pandemic?
- Quarantine and isolation are public health actions that are used to stop or slow the spread of a contagious disease. Quarantine and isolation both keep people away from others, in homes, hospitals, or other health care facilities.
- Quarantine is for people who have been exposed to a contagious disease, but are not sick. Sometimes people can be contagious (able to give someone else an illness) even before they feel sick. Quarantine separates the exposed person from other people for the amount of time that it would take to get sick after an exposure.
- Isolation is for people who are already sick and could spread the disease.
- Quarantine and isolation are usually voluntary. Most people want to protect others from getting sick. But government does have the power to make someone stay in isolation and quarantine.
19. Is it safe to eat chicken and poultry?
- You can safely eat poultry (chicken, turkey, pheasants, ducks, etc) and poultry products if they are fully cooked.
- Cook poultry thoroughly – do not eat pink or red meat.
- Cook eggs until the yolks are firm, not runny.
- Clean all food preparation surfaces with hot soapy water.
- Keep all surfaces, cutting boards and utensils used to prepare raw chicken and eggs separate from other foods.
20. Is it safe to be around chickens or birds?
- Do not touch sick or dead birds and poultry.
- Avoid touching poultry and bird droppings. If you do touch poultry or bird droppings, wash your hands right away with soap and water.
- If you find a sick or dead bird, call SB County Animal Services at:
- 805/737-7755 (Lompoc)
- 805/681-5285 (Santa Barbara)
- 805/934-6119 (Santa Maria)
- If you have chickens or poultry in your back yard and you think they are sick, call the California Department of Food and Agriculture Avian Health Group at 1-800-491-1899.
21. Where can I get more information about pandemic influenza?
For more information about pandemic influenza, send us an email at fluinfo@sbcphd.org or phone 888-SBCoFlu (888-722-6358).
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