Working

with healthcare facilities to plan for a patient load
           much larger than normal with short staffing.

  Helping

businesses prepare to keep their critical operations going

  Coordinating with community leaders to keep the public
            informed and educated regarding local planning initiatives
 

     What you need to know: There is NO pandemic influenza in the
          world as of today, but............

Recent reports of a new influenza virus infection transmitted
from birds to humans in Asia have drawn attention to the possibility that pandemic flue could arrive in the United States soon

Why worry about pandemic influenza???

The influenza virus, in a pandemic situation,
would infect about 30% of the Indiana population
within six to eight weeks.  In a very severe pandemic
3% to 7% of those infected might die.

Of those who become ill, about 50% will seek medical care.
The demand for healthcare services will increase during a
pandemic influenza outbreak.  At the same time, the number
of health care providers will decrease due to illness.

Current technology used to make influenza vaccine may
not be fast enough to make a vaccine against pandemic influenza.

Pandemic Influenza

What is a pandemic influenza???
A pandemic influenza is caused by a new influenza virus that appears or "emerges" in the human population.  The new virus causes serious illness because humans have no existing immunity to it.  The virus spreads easily from person to person, causing a global outbreak of disease within a very short time.  There is no influenza pandemic now, but we need to be prepared.