Frequently Asked Questions

I have heard on the news that the avian flu is waning. If it is going away, why should we continue to plan for a pandemic?

The media did carry briefly some statements about the avian flu "waning", no doubt because the warmer weather means the virus does not survive as long in the open, whereas in colder temperatures the avian flu virus can survive for 30 days in bird droppings.

A short time after these articles, a family of seven died from the avian flu in Indonesia. And the virus has stricken others, often fatally, in other countries and has been detected in birds in yet more countries.

We need to keep on our toes and continue pandemic planning in the event the virus mutates into a form more easily contagious to humans, or permits human to human transmission. Planning is not wasted as other emerging infectious diseases do occur - who ever heard of SARS before the outbreak? Flu pandemics will continue throughout time - as in 1918, 1957 and 1968 - or a bioterrorism attack could occur. So our planning and preparedness for avian flu is not wasted even if a flu pandemic does not develop from this particular virus.