Pandemic influenza

Pandemic influenza is a global outbreak of a new influenza virus. Pandemics happen when new (novel) influenza A viruses emerge which are able to infect people easily and spread from person to person in an efficient and sustained way. The World Health Organization (WHO) has a six-stage classification that describes the process by which a novel influenza virus moves from the first few infections in humans through to a pandemic. This starts with the virus mostly infecting animals and ends with a virus able to spread easily from person to person.

Types of Influenza Viruses

There are three types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Type A viruses are the most virulent human pathogens among the three influenza types and cause the most severe disease. The influenza A virus can be subdivided into different serotypes based on the antibody response to these viruses. The serotypes that have been confirmed in humans, ordered by the number of known human pandemic deaths, are: H1N1, which caused Spanish flu in 1918, and swine flu in 2009; H2N2, which caused Asian flu in 1957; H3N2, which caused Hong Kong flu in 1968; H5N1, which caused Bird flu in 2004; H7N7, which has unusual zoonotic potential; H1N2, endemic in humans, pigs and birds; H9N2, H7N2, H7N3, H10N7 types, all of which are endemic in birds.

Pandemic Phases

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined six stages of pandemic influenza, with the virus moving from infecting animals to infecting humans, to causing a pandemic.

Prevention

Prevention of pandemic influenza involves using vaccines, antivirals, and the use of personal protective equipment such as masks and respirators.

See Also

• Epidemic
• Influenza vaccine
• Influenza treatment
• Influenza research

References

Pandemic influenza Resources
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