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  Pandemic Flu   |  In the Event of a Pandemic Flu Outbreak  |  Protecting Your Business

Seasonal Influenza

At this time, medical experts do not know how a pandemic flu would spread from person to person. No one knows whether the incubation (contagious) period of pandemic strains of the influenza virus will be similar to those of seasonal influenza. Because of this, everyone must pay attention to specific recommendations from the Montgomery County government. If a pandemic should occur, County health officials will tell the public—through the media, on its website, and in other ways—how to protect themselves and the community.

Current Research
There is a flu pandemic among the wild bird population in Asia, Africa, and some parts of Europe. Avian (or bird) flu is caused by a virus that occurs naturally among wild birds. This virus, known as the H5N1 flu virus, is deadly to domestic fowl and can be transmitted from birds to humans. Research is still evolving with respect to how and why people become infected. For example, more needs to be learned about why some humans exposed to the virus become ill, while others do not.

At this time, health officials believe the virus does not yet have the ability for sustained human-to-human transmission. The human cases that have occurred were in people living in close contact with poultry.

Several studies currently underway in the United States and abroad are looking into potential vaccines. Other studies are looking into drugs to treat the symptoms of a pandemic flu. Currently, there are anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza that may or may not be effective against a pandemic flu. Antibiotics, which are effective only against bacteria, do not work against the viruses that cause influenza, although they could be useful in case of secondary bacterial infections that often occur with flu.

Source: “Pandemic Influenza: The State of the Science,” Trust for America’s Health/Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), October 2006.

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