Pandemic 101 – a Primer

You’ve likely heard by now. After weeks of hesitating, the World Health Organization has declared the H1N1 virus infections to be a Level 6 on the pandemic scale, which means a pandemic has been announced. The thing is, your life is still the same. My life is still the same. Nothing has changed from the five minutes before the announcement and five minutes after the announcement. That’s what people need to remember before beginning to panic.

Here is some information that may help you learn more about pandemics, viruses, etc.

What’s the difference between a pandemic and an epidemic?

An epidemic is something that can happen anywhere, any time with just about any type of contagious situation. Last year, there were some epidemics of mumps in some universities, a few years ago, there were epidemics of meningitis. There can even be epidemics of lice or scabies. An epidemic is an outbreak of an illness that affects many people at the same time in one or more localized areas .

A pandemic, on the other hand, is the outbreak of an illness that has spread over a wide area across the world, generally affecting several continents. A pandemic isn’t only for influenza, but can be for any contagious illness, such as malaria or tuberculosis.

How long can influenza viruses stay alive?

According to the standard information we have, the virus stays alive on your hands for about five minutes. It can stay alive on your clothing for up to 12 hours and it can exist on objects for up to 48 hours.

How do infections like influenza get transmitted?

There are five ways infections can be transmitted:

1. Skin to skin contact (scabies, for example)
2. Droplet (cold viruses coughed into the air and breathed in)
3. Airborne (much tinier viruses that hang around in the air, like H1N1 virus)
4. Common (an contagious person drinks from a water bottle, you drink from it moments later)
5. Insects (malaria, for example)

How can we protect ourselves from infections like influenza?

It can’t be stressed enough: handwashing – and proper handwashing, not just rinsing your hands under the water. Here is a site that has a good video showing how to wash your hands with either soap and water or sanitizer .

Handwashing breaks the infection chain . A pathogen (virus, bacteria, fungus) needs to be able to spread. Once it’s spread, it has to have a good host (good living conditions) to flourish. If we stop it from spreading, then it can’t get any further.

What’s the point of calling a pandemic if it’s not severe?

The pandemic rating from the World Health Organization doesn’t rate the severity of an illness. It rates how far it has spread and how easily it is contracted. Whether it’s a severe influenza as what happened in 1918 or H1N1, it’s still a pandemic.

Are they doing this to scare us?

No, the World Health Organization has a mandate to survey the world for illnesses, especially new ones or old ones that are spreading more than usual. They are responsible for coordinating world response to these illnesses, to limit the spread or severity of impact. At the same time, they can’t act in secret. If they know there’s a pandemic and they don’t say anything, it could end up causing even more problems in the long run. Plus, the public deserves to know what is going on.

Why don’t they suspend travel?

The world is a big place, yet it’s also a very small one. We are now co-dependent for our economies. If world trade, travel, transport of goods were to be stopped, an already precarious economy would come to a crashing halt. If the economy were to be badly affected, then when people get sick, they won’t have the means to care for themselves as they won’t have money to get medical help or buy supplies.

Why was everyone so sure there would be a pandemic? After all, look at the SARS epidemic, it didn’t become global.

The world learned a lot from SARS, about what worked and what didn’t. As sad as the outcome was for those who died, it was an invaluable learning experience, as most emergencies tend to be.

The experts were sure that a pandemic was coming because that is the cycle of life. Every so many years, a pandemic circles the globe. It doesn’t have to be severe, but it does spread.

So, how long will this last?

A pandemic isn’t a short-term period of a few weeks. Although it can’t be pinpointed, a pandemic such as this will last as long as it takes the virus to run its course or we find a way to stop it.

Speaking of stopping it, what’s taking so long to get a vaccine?

First, the scientists had to pinpoint the genetic structure of the virus. Then, they need to work on developing the vaccine, which takes time. After that, they still need time to produce the vaccine – this is all quite time consuming.

But if I get the fall flu vaccine, I’m covered, right?

Wrong. The seasonal flu, the one that goes around every year and for which you get a new flu vaccine, isn’t the same thing as the H1N1 virus vaccine. Two separate things.

So then I don’t need to get the flu shot this fall then if I’m getting the H1N1 vaccine?

Wrong again. They’re two different things. It looks like the H1N1 may be milder than the seasonal flu, but they’re not sure yet what it will be like in the fall. At the same time, the seasonal flu still kills thousands of people across the world because of its effects. If you’ve been taking the annual flu vaccine and/or your doctor recommends you do, you would be best to continue to do so.

What about stocking up on antiviral medications – if I take them then I won’t get sick, right?

Antiviral medications, like Tamiflu, are NOT to be taken if you don’t have influenza. Antiviral medications are not to prevent illness. They only work if you actually have the virus. If you take the antiviral before you have the illness, you run the risk of contributing to viruses mutating and becoming resistant to the antivirals, you help deplete the stock, keeping it from those who really do need it.

Will it be as bad as 1918?

It’s highly unlikely we would get hit with a pandemic like the one that hit early in the last century. We’ve had two others (the Hong Kong flu and the Asian flu), which weren’t as severe either.

We have to remember that we’ve come a long way since 1918. We know more about hygiene. We know how illnesses are spread. With our communications ability, word spreads faster than the virus, alerting people of new issues. We also have better medical care and better surveillance systems.

So, with all this doom and gloom, I might as well stay home, close the blinds and protect myself.

No, you don’t have to do that. Just be careful. Follow the hygiene etiquette of sneezing or coughing into your elbow. If you’re sick, stay home from work or school (and don’t go shopping, to the bank, etc!). Wash your hands. Wash your hands. Wash your hands.

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Images: Marijke Durning, Stock.xchng, iStock, MorgueFile.com