Pandemic Flu

The outbreak of a disease occurring globally due to a new type of influenza is known as pandemic influenza. This happens when a virus causing infection spreads all over the world causing infection from one person to another.

The symptoms characterising the presence of pandemic flu in a person are more severe than those which are found for ordinary influenza. So the risk of a person related to death is higher in cases of pandemic flu.

Since the strains of flu viruses mutate very frequently, people will not generally be immune to the virus types. This helps in the rapid spreading of the infection and the infection becoming pandemic.

One of the latest types of pandemic flu is the avian flu which affected the people in Asia. This type of flu normally affects the birds only. But those who come into contact with the affected birds can develop the infection.

Symptoms

The symptoms which characterise the presence of pandemic flu are normally similar to the symptoms a person may experience if he has ordinary flu. These symptoms of pandemic flu are headache, presence of a sore throat, fatigue or weariness, weakness, developing coughs, presence of muscle pains and aches, high level of fever as well as presence of a runny or stuffy nose.

Potentially all the people are prone to the risk of being affected with pandemic flu. This is because people normally do not have any resistance towards the new strains of viruses.

The people who are normally more prone to pandemic flu are very young children, people above sixty five years of age, presence of any medical condition like cancer, renal disorders, hepatic or liver disorders, diabetes as well as any cardiac disorders as well as the person being immunosuppressed or the having a very weak immune system as a result of undergoing treatment for cancer or presence of any illness like HIV/AIDS.

Treatment

The use of antiviral drugs is normally advised for reducing or soothing the effects associated with the flu. It also helps in reducing the chances of the virus being spread from one person to another.

In places like UK, the persons can avail the antiviral drugs from the hospitals free of cost since they are already stocked up in the hospitals. But the recovery of all the people who are affected by pandemic flu is not a feasible option. The people receiving treatment depends on the availability of the antiviral drugs in stock. Another factor which influences the recovery of people is the time of the pandemic attack.

Prevention

The vaccinations of flu are updated by the scientists every year so as to provide protection from the mutant variants of the viruses. But the probability of the attack of a pandemic flu cannot be predicted by the scientists. Once a pandemic has occurred, the production of the vaccine can be very fast. But the initial discovery of the strain is time consuming.

The infection can be reduced by maintaining good hygiene by flowing some small practices like washing the hands with water and soap frequently so that even if you have come into contact with the virus, it odes not spread.