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HHS Unveils Two New Efforts to Advance Pandemic Flu Preparedness - PowerPoint Presentation

Timeline of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Activities by DHMH

Pandemic Influenza and Avian Influenza - Maryland Prepares - Status Report, July 2007

Pandemic: A Worldwide Outbreak of Influenza

An influenza pandemic is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new influenza A virus appears in the human population, causes serious illness, and then spreads easily from person to person worldwide. Pandemics are different from seasonal outbreaks of influenza. Seasonal outbreaks are caused by subtypes of influenza viruses that are already in existence among people, whereas pandemic outbreaks are caused by new subtypes that have never circulated among people before or that have not circulated among people for a long time. Past influenza pandemics have led to high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss.

Preparing for the Next Pandemic

Many public health officials believe it is only a matter of time until the next influenza pandemic occurs. The impact of the next pandemic cannot be predicted; however, some simulations suggest that, in the absence of an effective vaccine, a “medium–level” pandemic could cause approximately 10,000 deaths, 44,500 hospitalizations, and over 1 million people becoming ill in Maryland alone. A more severe pandemic could infect an additional 700,000 Maryland residents (up to 35% of Maryland’s population).

The recent outbreaks of avian influenza among poultry in Asia and Europe, and associated human cases, heighten the need for pandemic planning now.

We have learned from previous influenza pandemics that pandemics are unlike other public health emergencies or community disasters, because:

• A pandemic will likely last for months – much longer than most other community-wide emergencies. Also, a pandemic may include “waves” of influenza activity separated by months (in 20th century pandemics, a second wave of influenza activity occurred 3 to 12 months after the first wave).
• A pandemic will affect all of us – including people responding to the pandemic. For example, health-care workers and other responders may be disproportionately affected. They will be at high risk of illness through exposure in the community and in health-care settings, and some may have to miss work to care for ill family members.
• A pandemic will be widespread, with outbreaks expected to occur simultaneously throughout much of the U.S. – and the rest of the world, thereby making it impossible to move human and material resources from place to place as would normally occur with other natural disasters.
• Some preventive and treatment measures – like vaccines and antiviral agents – will likely be unavailable or in short supply initially.