WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Pandemic flu: A flu pandemic is a global outbreak that occurs when a new influenza A virus causes serious human illness and spreads easily from person to person.
Avian flu: Avian, or bird, flu occurs naturally among birds. All bird flus are influenza A. There are many strains of avian flu viruses, some more virulent than others.
Seasonal flu: This is the influenza virus that tends to infect people each year during the winter months. In many people, its symptoms are mild and last no more than a week. However, about 36,000 Americans die of seasonal influenza each year.
Influenza A: Influenza A viruses are found in many different animals, including ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses, and seals. Influenza A is primarily a respiratory disease, causing cough, congestion, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue, and fever in most species it infects.
Influenza B: This virus circulates widely only among humans. It generally does not make people as sick as influenza A does.
Pandemic Influenza
Pandemic influenza is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new influenza A virus appears in humans, causes serious illness, and then spreads easily from person to person worldwide because we have no built-up immunity to it.
No one knows when the next pandemic will strike or how serious it will be. But public health officials are closely monitoring a current outbreak of the H5N1 influenza virus among poultry and wild birds in Asia, Europe, and Africa. It has caused illness and some deaths among humans who live or work in close proximity to poultry.
Scientists and health officials believe a pandemic flu could pose a significant threat to our health, our economy, and our way of life. That's why efforts are under way at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to plan for the complex issues and serious impacts that a new influenza pandemic could cause in Montana.
Much has changed since the last pandemic flu outbreak in 1968 , both in the fields of medicine and public health and in our ability as individuals to travel across the globe. So it's difficult to speculate how serious a new pandemic would be.
What we do know is that public health officials, including those at the local and state level in Montana, have vastly improved their ability to detect and control infectious diseases, and they've become more vigilant. They will know when a new and serious strain of flu emerges and will be able to take precautions to reduce its impacts.
To learn more about the state's preparedness efforts, as well as how you can prepare and protect yourself and your family, please check out the resources on this page.
If you have questions about pandemic flu, please contact the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Information Center.
Page last updated: 06/22/2007
