Seasonal flu, bird flu, pandemic flu…. What’s the difference?

Here's something from a Georgia health department that very clearly explains the types of flu that make the news these days:

Seasonal, avian (bird) flu, and pandemic flu have gotten a lot of attention, and understanding the differences can be difficult.

Seasonal flu happens every year. In the U.S., it hospitalizes 114,000 and kills 36,000 annually. Most people who get it feel awful for a while and recover. There are many flu viruses, and there is an annual vaccine which contains the three strains experts believe to be the biggest threat each year.

Avian flu affects mostly birds. There are several avian flu viruses. Wild birds carry avian flu, seldom get sick from it, and even more rarely die from it. However, domestic birds, such as chickens, do not have immunity against some avian flu viruses, so they can get sick and die.

The H5N1 virus is a deadly strain of avian flu. H5N1 has been found in birds in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Millions of chickens have been destroyed to try to control spread of the virus. Human cases have been identified in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. So far, it has not been identified in the western hemisphere. Since 2003, about 300 people worldwide have been known to get H5N1, and about half have died. Nearly everyone who has gotten ill has caught H5N1 from infected poultry.

Experts think the H5N1 virus could cause a worldwide outbreak of flu in people, called a pandemic. To do that, the virus must mutate to spread easily from person to person. No one knows when or if H5N1 (or another virus) will become capable of causing a pandemic. There is no pandemic flu anywhere now, but it makes sense to prepare for it.

The 20th century saw three significant flu pandemics. The 1918-1919 Spanish Flu was the biggest and many millions of people died, including 675,000 Americans, and millions more were ill. Milder pandemics happened in 1957-1958 (“Asian Flu”) and 1968-1969 (“Hong Kong Flu”).

If a flu pandemic like the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu were to happen today, it would be devastating. Lots of people would be sick, and millions could die. We can all do things now to prepare, which you will learn about through this series. In the meantime, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ to learn more.

--Rhiannon Brewer is the public relations and information specialist for the Northeast Health District in Georgia and can be reached at rcbrewer@dhr.state.ga.us.