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Seasonal - Avian - Pandemic:
Isn't the Flu Just the Flu?

Seasonal flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. Avian flu is caused by avian influenza viruses, which occur naturally among birds. Pandemic flu is a flu that causes a global outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness that spreads easily from person to person. Learn more about these different types of flu.

• Seasonal Flu
     - Symptoms,  Complications, Preventing, Resources
• Avian “Bird” Flu
     - Food Safety, Disease in Humans, Travel, Food Preparation, Resources
• Pandemic Flu
     - Is There a Vaccine?, Being Prepared, Resources
• Other Resources
• E-mail this Information to A Friend
• Other Topics in the Consumer Focus Archive

Posted: February 7, 2006

Seasonal Flu

The flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Each year in the United States, on average:

• 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu
• More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications
• About 36,000 people die from flu

The flu is easily passed from person to person by coughing and sneezing. A person can also get the flu by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth or nose. Most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 days after becoming sick. That means that you can pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick. The best way to prevent this illness is by getting a flu vaccination each fall. October or November is the best time to get vaccinated, but getting vaccinated in December or even later is still beneficial. Flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May.

Symptoms of flu include:

• Fever (usually high)
• Headache
• Extreme tiredness
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle aches
• Stomach symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, also can occur but are more common in children than adults.

Complications of flu can include:

• Bacterial pneumonia
• Dehydration
• Worsening of chronic medical conditions such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes.
• Children may get sinus problems and ear infections.

Preventing the flu - Get vaccinated

The single best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccination each fall. There are two types of vaccines:

• The "flu shot" is approved for use in people older than 6 months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions.
• The nasal-spray flu vaccine is approved for use in healthy people 5 years to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.

Resources on Seasonal Flu:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
MedlinePlus
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health

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Avian “Bird” Flu

Avian influenza is primarily spread by direct contact between healthy and infected birds through respiratory secretions and feces. The disease also can be spread through indirect contact if healthy birds are exposed to contaminated equipment or materials. Some strains of the virus can spread from birds to people as a result of extensive direct contact with infected birds. Broad concerns about public health relate to the potential for the virus to mutate, or change into a form that could spread from person to person.

Food Safety

Eating properly handled and cooked poultry is safe. If the virus were detected in the U.S., the chance of infected poultry entering the human food chain would be extremely low. Standard food safety precautions that you should practice all the time include:

• Washing hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food;
• Preventing cross-contamination by keeping raw meat, poultry, fish, and their juices away from other foods;
• After cutting raw meats, washing cutting board, knife, and counter tops with hot, soapy water;
• Sanitizing cutting boards by using a solution of 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water; and
• Using a food thermometer to ensure food has reached the proper temperature. Cook whole birds to 180°F; breasts to 170°F; drumsticks, thighs and wings to 180°F; ground turkey and chicken to 165°F; and a minimum oven temperature of 325°F.

Poultry products imported to the U.S. must meet all safety standards applied to foods produced in the U.S. No poultry from countries with confirmed cases of avian flu can be imported into the United States.

The Disease in Humans

Influenza viruses are normally highly species-specific, meaning that viruses that infect an individual species (humans, certain species of birds, pigs, horses, and seals) stay “true” to that species, and only rarely spill over to cause infection in other species. Of the hundreds of strains of avian influenza A viruses, only four are known to have caused human infections: H5N1, H7N3, H7N7, and H9N2. In general, human infection with these viruses has resulted in mild symptoms and very little severe illness, with one notable exception: the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus.

Of all influenza viruses that circulate in birds, the H5N1 virus is of greatest present concern for human health for two main reasons. First, the H5N1 virus has caused by far the greatest number of human cases of very severe disease and the greatest number of deaths. It has crossed the species barrier to infect humans on at least three occasions in recent years. A second implication for human health, of far greater concern, is the risk that the H5N1 virus – if given enough opportunities – will develop the characteristics it needs to start another influenza pandemic.

Before You Travel

Before any international travel to an area affected by avian influenza educate yourself and others who may be traveling with you about any disease risks and CDC health recommendations for international travel in areas you plan to visit. Be sure you are up to date with all your routine vaccinations, and see your doctor or health-care provider, ideally 4–6 weeks before travel, to get any additional vaccination, medications or information you may need.

During travel to an affected area, avoid all direct contact with poultry, including touching well-appearing, sick, or dead chickens and ducks. Avoid places such as poultry farms and bird markets where live poultry are raised or kept, and avoid touching surfaces contaminated with poultry feces or secretions.

Food Preparation

Do not eat uncooked or undercooked poultry or poultry products, including dishes made with uncooked poultry blood.

All foods from poultry, including eggs and poultry blood, should be cooked thoroughly. Egg yolks should not be runny or liquid. Because influenza viruses are destroyed by heat, the cooking temperature for poultry meat should reach 70°C (158°F).

• Wash egg shells in soapy water before handling and cooking, and wash your hands afterwards.
• Do not use raw or soft-boiled eggs in foods that will not be cooked.
• After handling raw poultry or eggs, wash your hands and all surfaces and utensils thoroughly with soap and water.

Resources on Avian Flu:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Agriculture
Department of State
Mayo Clinic
National Library of Medicine
Occupational Safety & Health Administration
World Health Organization

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Pandemic Flu

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in a very short time.

Health professionals are concerned that the continued and expanded spread of the avian H5N1 virus across eastern Asia and other countries represents a significant threat. The H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic because:

• It is extremely infectious
• It is being spread by migratory birds
• It can be transmitted from birds to mammals and in some limited circumstances to humans, and
• Like other influenza viruses, it continues to evolve (which means the virus may change characteristics including how it is transmitted).

Since 2003, a growing number of human H5N1 cases have been reported in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Turkey, and more than half of the people infected with the H5N1 virus have died. These cases are all believed to have been caused by exposure to infected poultry. The concern is that H5N1 will evolve into a virus capable of human to human transmission.

Is There a Vaccine?

A pandemic vaccine cannot be produced until a new pandemic influenza virus emerges and is identified. Even after a pandemic influenza virus has been identified, it could take at least 6 months to develop, test and produce vaccine. Antivirals are drugs that may help prevent infection in people at risk and lessen the impact of symptoms in those infected with influenza. It is unlikely that they would substantially change the course or effectively contain the spread of an influenza pandemic.

Importance and Benefits of Being Prepared

Public Health Officials and local governments will do everything possible to assist all citizens. The Department of Health and Human Services and other federal agencies are providing funding, advice, and other support to your state. The federal Government will provide up-to-date information and guidance to the public if an influenza pandemic occurs. The important thing to remember is don’t panic - but be prepared.

It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. The effects of a pandemic can be lessened if preparations are made ahead of time. As you begin your individual or family planning, you may want to review your state’s planning efforts and those of your local public health and emergency preparedness officials. As you plan, it is important to think about the challenges that you might face, particularly if a pandemic is severe.

• Plan for the possibility that usual services may be disrupted. These could include services provided by hospitals and other health care facilities, banks, stores, government offices and post offices.
• Consider how to care for people with special needs in case the services they rely on are not available.
• Ask your employer about how business will continue during a pandemic – find out if you can work from home. Plan for the possible reduction or loss of income if you are unable to work or your place of employment is closed.
• Schools may be closed for an extended period of time. Consider childcare needs or plan home learning activities.
• Transportation services may be disrupted. Think about how you can rely less on public transportation during a pandemic, and prepare backup plans for taking care of loved ones who are far away.
• Stock a supply of water and food. Remember – stores may run out of supplies.

Resources on Pandemic Flu:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Department of Health and Human Services
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
PandemicFlu.gov
World Health Organization

Please note: All content is based upon information available as of January 2006.

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Other Resources

This is just a brief overview. For more information, check out these resources:

Websites*:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Department of Health and Human Services
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• PandemicFlu.gov

* Names of resources and organizations included in this online article are provided as examples only, and their inclusion does not mean that they are endorsed by the Federal Citizen Information Center or any other Government agency. Also, if a particular resource or organization is not mentioned, this does not mean or imply that it is unsatisfactory.

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