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Most of us have probably heard about influenza. We probably know that each year people in our communities are affected by this illness both at home and at work. Influenza is a viral illness that causes fever, headache, aches and pains, runny noses, sore throat, cough, and chest discomfort. It causes severe illness and death every winter in North America.
Sometimes, influenza viruses change and create a new “strain” that people have not been exposed to before. People will have no protection against a new strain of influenza and it can spread rapidly around the world. This is referred to as a “pandemic.”
Nobody knows when the next pandemic will happen. There is ongoing surveillance at many levels, from our local hospital labs and physicians to the World Health Organization.
In June 2009 the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic level to Phase 6 for the H1N1 Flu Virus. This is the highest phase and indicated the world was in a Pandemic situation.
What is the difference between ordinary flu and pandemic flu?
| Ordinary or Seasonal Flu |
Pandemic Flu |
| Ordinary flu happens every year. |
Pandemic flu happens only 2 or 3 times a century. |
| Ordinary flu usually occurs from November to April and then stops. |
Pandemic flu usually comes in 2 or 3 waves several months apart. Each wave lasts 2-3 months. |
| About 10 per cent of Ontarians get ordinary flu each year. |
About 35 per cent of Ontarians may get pandemic flu over the course of an outbreak. |
| Most people who get ordinary flu will get sick, but they usually recover within a couple of weeks. |
About half of the people who get pandemic flu will become ill. Most will recover, but it may take a long time, and some people will die. |
| Ordinary flu is hardest on people who don’t have a strong immune system. This includes the very young, the very old and people with certain chronic illnesses. |
People of any age may become seriously ill with pandemic flu, depending on the virus. |
| In a normal flu season, up to 2,000 Ontarians die of complications from the flu, such as pneumonia. |
During a flu pandemic, Ontario would see many more people infected and possibly many more deaths. |
| There are annual flu shots that will protect people from ordinary flu. |
There is no existing vaccine for pandemic flu. It will take 4-5 months after the pandemic starts to develop the vaccine. |
| There are drugs people can take to treat ordinary flu. |
These same drugs may also help people with pandemic flu, but we may not have a large enough supply for everyone. We won’t know the drugs’ effectiveness until the virus is identified. |
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