The Avian Flu

The following information is provided to separate the facts from the fiction surrounding the avian (bird) flu virus (H5N1) and to communicate what the Blues are doing to prepare for the possibility of a flu pandemic.

What is a Pandemic?
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak.  A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges to which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine.  Human vaccine cannot be developed until the virus mutates and becomes transmissible among humans.  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. Infection and illness rates may soar.  A substantial percentage of the world's population may require some form of medical care.  

Stages of a Pandemic
The World Health Organization defines six stages of a pandemic. We are currently in phase 3 because a new influenza subtype is causing disease in humans but is not yet spreading efficiently and sustainably among humans. Human-to-human transmission is very limited. Phase 3 triggers pandemic alert world-wide.

On February 1, 2007, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new "Pandemic Severity Index" (PSI), similar to the system for categorizing hurricanes. Two events would prompt the CDC director to designate a pandemic category: the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a phase 6 pandemic level and the US government declaring a stage 3, 4, or 5 alert. The pandemic severity index levels range from 1 (least severe) to 5. They levels are based on the case-fatality ratio.

Community Effects
A severe pandemic may cause economic and social disruption, including travel bans, large-scale school closings, and cancellation of community events.  The health care delivery system may be overtaxed with reduced clinician availability due to illness and shortages of hospital beds, ventilators and other supplies.  The need to care for sick family members or children released from school, fear of exposure, and illness itself can result in substantial absenteeism in the work place.