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DIVISION
OF HEALTH PROTECTION
Pandemic
Influenza
The
“flu season” is something that residents of
Adams
County
hear about on a regular basis. That
is because seasonal flu occurs annually in our community and across
the globe. Seasonal flu
is a serious viral infection that causes mild to severe illness in
our community each year. Most
people have some immunity to seasonal flu viruses, and a vaccine is
produced annually to protect higher risk populations.
Though many people look at the flu as little more than an
annual inconvenience, it is spread from person to person, so
precautions should be taken. For
more information on seasonal influenza, click the “Seasonal Flu”
link below.
Recently,
there have been
a number of novel types of influenza that have emerged in animal and
human populations. The H5N1 "bird" flu was a great concern
recently, but at present has not been able to mutate in a way that
it is passing from person to person. The H1N1 flu that emerged in
2009 has, however, become adapted to human to human transmission.
This strain of flu has caused the US and the world to raise it's
pandemic alert level to the maximum, indicating that the H1N1 flu
strain is readily transmitting between humans.
It
is important for our community that we begin preparing now.
With the emergence of H1N1 flu, a
prepared community is vitally important.
That
is why Adams County Health Department has been working to develop a
plan to respond to and recover from a pandemic flu.
Though the Health Department will be looked to for
information and response, it is the responsibility of every business
and individual in our community to become prepared for a pandemic.
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