Links for more information

• Information about Pandemic Influenza and Avian Influenza

• Orange County and California Information and Resources

• Pandemic Planning for Businesses, Families and Schools

• Traveling to Areas Impacted by Avian Flu

What is Pandemic Influenza?

According to the CDC, "An influenza (flu) pandemic is a widespread outbreak of disease that occurs when a new flu virus appears that people have not been exposed to before. Pandemics are different from seasonal outbreaks of influenza. Seasonal flu outbreaks are caused by viruses that people have already been exposed to; flu shots are available to help prevent widespread illness, and impacts on society are less severe. Pandemic Flu spreads easily from person to person and can cause serious illness because people do not have immunity to the new virus.

A pandemic may come and go in waves, each of which can last for months at a time. Everyday life could be disrupted due to people in communities across the country becoming ill at the same time. These disruptions could include everything from school and business closings to interruption of basic services such as public transportation and health care. An especially severe pandemic could lead to high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss."

Influenza pandemics have occurred at various times throughout human history, including three times in the previous century. Recent concerns about pandemic flu are motivated by the spread of a new strain of Avian Influenza.

What is Avian Influenza?

Veterinarians in Malaysia during a culling operation in March 2006.

Avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds caused by type A strains of the influenza virus. The disease, which was first identified in Italy more than 100 years ago, occurs worldwide.

Usually, “avian influenza virus” refers to influenza A viruses found chiefly in birds, but infections with these viruses can occur in humans. The risk from avian influenza is generally low to most people, because the viruses do not usually infect humans. However, confirmed cases of human infection from several subtypes of avian influenza infection have been reported since 1997. Most cases of avian influenza infection in humans have resulted from contact with infected poultry (e.g., domesticated chicken, ducks, and turkeys) or surfaces contaminated with secretion/excretions from infected birds. The spread of avian influenza viruses from one ill person to another has been reported very rarely, and transmission has not been observed to continue beyond one person.

“Human influenza virus” usually refers to those subtypes that spread widely among humans. There are only three known A subtypes of influenza viruses (H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2) currently circulating among humans. It is likely that some genetic parts of current human influenza A viruses came from birds originally. Influenza A viruses are constantly changing, and they might adapt over time to infect and spread among humans.

Pandemic Preparedness and Planning

It is very difficult to predict if the spread of a new strain of Influenza will result in an Influenza Pandemic. Certainty of a threat is not necessary for emergency response planning, and the value of recent attention on pandemic influenza is that in encourages states, communities, business, schools and families to think through their plans for dealing with an emergency like a infectious disease outbreak. CUSA has assembled a number of resources to provide more information about pandemic preparedness and response.

Information about Pandemic Influenza and Avian Influenza

World Health Organization Avian Influenza information http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/en/

U.S. Food and Drug Administration - Avian Influenza and Food Safety
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/avfluqa.html

Orange County and California Information and Resources

California Department of Health Services Pandemic Flu Information Page
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/dcdc/izgroup/diseases/pandemic_flu.htm

Orange County’s Health Care Agency Avian Influenza (H5N1) Information
http://www.ochealthinfo.com/epi/af/index.htm 

Orange County Department of Education - Emergency Preparedness http://emergency.ocde.us/

LA County Department of Health Services - Public Health Influenza Website http://lapublichealth.org/acd/flu.htm

California-Los Angeles Joint Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Summit
http://www.dhs.ca.gov/home/PanFluSummit/ 

Pandemic Planning for Businesses, Families and Schools

Good Home Treatment of Influenza                 http://www.birdflumanual.com/

Consumer Medication Stockpiling                    http://www.birdflumanual.com/

CIDRAP - Business Preparedness for Pandemic Influenza                    http://www.cidrapsource.com/register/do/framework 

Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/businesschecklist.html [PDF - 151KB]

Pandemic Influenza Planning: Guide for Individuals and Families
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/planguide/ [PDF - 251KB]

Child Care and Preschool Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist  http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/preschool.html [PDF - 155KB)]

School District (K-12) Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist  http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/schoolchecklist.html [PDF - 151KB]

Colleges and Universities Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/collegeschecklist.html [PDF - 170KB)] 

Traveling to Areas Impacted by Avian Flu

CDC - Precautions for Travel to Countries Reporting H5N1 http://www.cdc.gov/travel/other/avian_influenza_se_asia_2005.htm

U.S. State Department - Avian Flu Fact Sheet http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html

For information on general Emergency Response Planning, please visit CUSA's page on Emergency Preparedness.