Preparing for an Influenza Pandemic.ppt

pandemic influenza planning tool kit for
business/employers, dev'd spring 2006
1
PREPARING FOR AN
INFLUENZA PANDEMIC

2
What is an Influenza Pandemic
 Pandemic – a rapid spread of a severe human
disease that occurs world-wide and affects an
exceptionally high proportion of the
population.
 Influenza – refers to a family of highly
contagious viruses that cause illness by
attacking the respiratory tract

3
Why Talk About This Now?
 Health officials are warning of the potential for
an influenza pandemic
• Based on historical knowledge of past pandemics
and
• Concerns about the possibility of Avian influenza
or “bird flu" mutating into a new strain of human
influenza that we have no natural immunity against

4
Why talk about this now, cont’d
 Economists are warning of the potential impact
of pandemic influenza on individual
businesses and on the economy worldwide
 While avian flu is currently of concern, an
influenza pandemic could be triggered by a
different newly emerging virus
 Pandemic preparation is an important business
issue

5
Previous Influenza Pandemics in the
20th Century
 1918: “Spanish Flu”
40-50 million deaths
 1957: “Asian Flu”
1 million deaths
 1968: “Hong Kong Flu”
1 million deaths

6
Right Now It’s Only in Birds
 Avian influenza viruses are normally carried
by wild birds and usually cause no harm
 Currently an avian influenza virus (H5N1) is
in Asia, Europe and Africa, infecting poultry
and other animals
 It is highly deadly to poultry
 It has caused serious illness/death in some
people who have been in contact with infected
birds without using proper handling techniques

7
Pandemic Influenza vs Seasonal
Influenza
 Pandemic influenza is different from regular
seasonal influenza (flu)

8
Seasonal Influenza
 Seasonal influenza (flu) is a respiratory
infection caused by the influenza virus

9
Seasonal Influenza
 Affects 5-20% of the population
 Occurs every year in winter
 Causes 4000 deaths in Canada, ½ - 1 million
worldwide
 Most people recover
 Deaths usually occur in high risk groups
 Vaccine effective

10
Pandemic Influenza
 Occurs when a new strain of an influenza virus
develops to which people have little or no
immunity
 Spreads easily from person to person and
many people around the world will become
sick and possibly die

11
Pandemic Influenza
 Occurs 3-4x/century, any season
 Affects 25% or more of the population
 May cause 30-50,000 deaths in Canada, 40
million worldwide
 More severe illness
 Deaths may hit all age groups
 No vaccine for up to 4-6 months
 Antivirals limited, effectiveness unclear

12
Pandemic Influenza
 Spreads rapidly
 Occurs in waves, approximately 3-9 months
apart
 First wave will last approximately 4-6 weeks
 2nd and 3rd wave may be more severe
 May occur over a 1-2 year period

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Pandemic Influenza - Symptoms
 Headache, chills, cough
 Fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches, fatigue,
runny nose sneezing, watery eyes and throat
irritation
 Vomiting and diarrhea may occur, especially in
children

14
Pandemic Influenza - Spread
 Spread through droplets that have been
coughed or sneezed into the air by someone
who is infected
 Can spread for up to 24 hrs before onset of
symptoms
 And can still infect others for 3-5 days after
getting sick

15
You can get it by
 Breathing in the droplets through your nose or
mouth or if they land on your eyes
 Shaking hands with infected people and then
touching your nose, eyes or mouth
 Touching contaminated surfaces and then
touching your nose, eyes or mouth

16
What You Can Do
 Improve your overall health
 Consider getting an annual flu shot
 Wash hands regularly with warm soapy water for at
least 20 seconds or use alcohol based wipes
Before and after eating
After going to the bathroom
After coughing and sneezing
After shaking hands
After touching surfaces that may be contaminated

17
What you can also do
 Cough and sneeze into tissue or your sleeve to
avoid droplet spread
 Throw away tissues promptly
 Frequently clean and disinfect household and
work space surfaces
 Stay at home when sick
 Avoid visiting people who have influenza if
you can

18
And….
 Don’t share eating utensils or drinks
 Refrain from putting out unwrapped
candy/snacks in the office
 Encourage family, friends, and colleagues to
follow these practices

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Pandemic Influenza –
Vaccine/antivirals
 Use and distribution will be determined by
public health officials
 Vaccine will take approximately 4-6 months to
prepare once the strain has been identified
 Work on a national strategy for antiviral use is
ongoing

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Pandemic Influenza – Impact on
Business
 High absenteeism
 Employees may die
 Travel may be restricted
 Supply chains may be interrupted
 Fewer customers
 Financial losses/business failures
 Unemployment may occur

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Pandemic Influenza – Impact on
Health Care System
 Health services may be overwhelmed
 About 2-5 million may need outpatient care
 About 34,000 to 138,000 needing
hospitalization
 About 11,000 to 58,000 deaths
 Costs: about $330million to $1.4 billion

22
Pandemic Influenza – Social Effects
 Fear of close proximity to people
 Stress due to dealing with illness, deaths,
quarantine, loss of employment, financial loss
 Possible closures of public venues, schools
 Interruption of critical community services
 Estimated costs (loss of productivity) $5-38
billion

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When will we know it’s here?
 The World Health Organization (WHO) will
officially declare a pandemic influenza
outbreak
 Federal and Provincial/Territorial Public
Health Officials will issue advisories

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So…Be Prepared
 Plan for yourself and your family
 Be aware of pandemic influenza plans in your
workplace

Preparing for an Influenza Pandemic.ppt

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