Guidelines
Pandemic influenza - Public
Pandemic influenza - Business
Pandemic influenza - Community
Plans
Resources
Influenza
Avian influenza
An influenza pandemic will occur if all of the following conditions are present: - a new influenza A virus arises from a major genetic change
the virus is highly virulent with the capacity to cause serious illness and death
the population has little or no immunity; and,
the virus is transmitted easily between people
When a new strain of influenza virus emerges, for which there is no or little immunity in the human population, an influenza pandemic occurs. The result being, the virus spreads rapidly from person-to-person and with modern transportation modes, is able to infect whole populations' worldwide.
Much more severe than the effects seen from seasonal influenza, pandemic influenza results in high rates of illness and death and significant social and economic disruption.
Three influenza pandemics occurred during the 20th century, the “Spanish” (1918), “Asian” (1957) and “Hong Kong” (1968) pandemics. The Spanish pandemic resulted in 20-40 million or more deaths (mostly in young adults) worldwide, while the Asian and Hong Kong pandemics resulted in 1-4 million deaths (mostly in older adults) worldwide. By comparison, “inter-pandemic” influenza results in 0.5-2 million deaths (mostly in older adults) worldwide each year.
This site provides a range of resources to help support Western Australians prepare for the next influenza pandemic which, is considered inevitable by experts and overdue.
