What’s an Influenza Pandemic?

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a pandemic as a global disease outbreak which occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity, and there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily from person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in a very short time.

What’s Being Done?

The United States has been working closely with other countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) to detect and respond to outbreaks of influenza that might cause a pandemic (like H5N1 Avian Flu). In this country, federal, state, and local governments are working together to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic.

PANFLUidaho.org

This Website has been developed by the Health Preparedness Program at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) to provide public health information and resources to Idahoans to help them prepare for an influenza pandemic. It is difficult to predict when the next influenza pandemic will occur or how severe it will be. When an influenza pandemic does unfold, IDHW will provide up-to-date health-related information on this Website. Until then, it is up to each of us to prepare at the individual and family level and for businesses, communities, and local and state governments to take steps to mitigate the effects of a pandemic in Idaho.