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<LABEL class=StoryContent id=StoryContent_Content>Avian flu FAQ
By Val Brickates Kennedy, MarketWatch
Last Update: 9:29 PM ET Jul 9, 2006
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?dist=newsfinder&siteid=google&guid=%7B3E1A7510-BE34-4272-BC55-BB853BFBBE3E%7D&keyword=
<LABEL class=StoryContent id=StoryContent_Content>
BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Here are answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions about avian flu and the impact of a possible pandemic in the near future.
What exactly is 'avian flu'?
The avian flu is a strain of influenza that has decimated bird populations, particularly in Asia. In rare cases, the flu strain, formally known as H5N1, has also been passed on to humans who have had unusually close contact with sick birds or consumed raw infected poultry.
However, in treating those rare cases, doctors were alarmed at the swiftness with which the virus killed. They were also dismayed that most antiviral drugs appeared to be ineffective in battling the virus, which kills by destroying the lungs. The current strain of avian flu carries about a 50% mortality rate in humans. <!-- phatpath=news/story/2006/07/bird_flu.htm--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=385 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=375><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan alt="[Spacer]" --> <!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" endspan --></TD><TD width=10></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 width=375 bgColor=#cccccc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=373 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=363 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=134>
</TD><TD>MARKETWATCH SPECIAL REPORT
Flu and your business
In the next several years, a deadly bird flu pandemic could hit the U.S. Is your business ready?
? Fed to businesses: On your own
? Do you have a plan for your business?
? Avian flu: What you need to know
? Steps for minimizing impact
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To date, only about 228 confirmed cases of avian flu have been reported since 2003, with 130 of those dying from the illness, according to the World Health Organization.
Because flu strains are always mutating, health officials fear that H5N1 could quickly mutate into a virus that is easily transmitted between humans, which could result in a deadly international pandemic.
The U.S. has not seen a catastrophic flu pandemic since the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, which killed over 50 million worldwide, including an estimated 675,000 in the U.S. alone, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
While great strides have been made in health care since that time, which should lower the mortality rate, officials also are quick to point out that advancements in travel will allow the virus to spread more quickly.
Major metropolitan areas, where people live and work in close quarters, will be the most vulnerable to avian flu, experts say.
How can I get pandemic flu?
What is important to remember about pandemic flu is that you'll only be able to get it through human contact, such as having an infected person sneeze or cough on you, or shaking the hand of a sick person. In some cases a person could also pick up the bug from items that were just handled by a sick person, such as a telephone receiver.
The flu virus will not be able to be spread through air ventilation systems, such as those in office buildings, according to Lisa Koonin of the Centers for Disease Control.
Another bit of heartening news is that common household cleaners, along with popular hand sanitizers, are extremely effective in killing flu germs. And once you've recovered from a particular strain of flu, you're immune to that strain, health officials say.
When and where will it hit first?
Although no one can predict when a pandemic might hit, many scientists believe there is a strong likelihood that an outbreak will emerge within the next several years. Because of modern air travel, no one can predict which region of the nation would be hit first.
What makes pandemic planning tricky is that no one can predict when the virus will mutate into one that is easily communicable. What most health experts do agree on, however, is that the mutation will likely be seen first in Asia, for a variety of environmental and demographic reasons.
If a pandemic virus emerges, Americans will have only one to three weeks to prepare, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
If a pandemic takes hold in the U.S., Americans should anticipate the virus to strike in regionalized waves that can last from four to eight weeks. The 1918 pandemic, for example, had three waves. The entire pandemic could last up to two years.
What about a vaccine?
Vaccines are created from the viruses themselves. Because of this, an effective avian flu vaccine cannot be produced until a pandemic strain is identified. While the government plans to order batches of vaccine based on current strains of the virus, which is not easily transmitted to people, it is unclear how effective that vaccine would be against a strain that triggered a human pandemic.
</LABEL>
9:28PM 7/9/2006 Government: Business needs to plan for pandemic
? Val Brickates Kennedy
9:28AM 7/9/2006 Preparing your business for a flu pandemic ? Val Brickates Kennedy
12:01AM 6/22/2006 Retirement survival guide ? Andrea Coombes
12:01AM 6/22/2006 Rising rates ease pressure on pension plans ? August Cole
12:01AM 6/22/2006 Experts: Don't count on legislation to slow pension demise ? William L. Watts
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Also complicating matters is that it takes up to nine months to manufacture flu vaccine. While researchers are looking for ways to cut that to four, many Americans would probably have to ride out at least a first wave of a pandemic without being inoculated.
What could I expect during a pandemic?
Currently, U.S. officials are forecasting that up to 30% of all Americans could contract the disease, resulting in about 209,000 deaths for a "moderate" pandemic. A "severe" pandemic, like the one seen in 1918, could result in 1.9 million deaths in the U.S. alone, according to www.pandemicflu.gov.
The government says the most effective way to combat a pandemic is to discourage physical contact between people, which would be difficult, especially in major cities.
Americans in stricken areas should expect substantial disruptions in transportation. Mass transit systems may be temporarily shut down, and only limited traffic allowed through airports and train stations. If a region is particularly hard-hit, state or local officials may restrict highway access.
If a wave comes through your area, schools and daycare centers are likely to close. Mass gatherings would be discouraged, although it is unclear if places such as malls would be immediately closed. In 1918, when the pandemic was at its grimmest, even church services were cancelled in affected areas.
What will the government do?
The federal government has emphasized that it will focus its efforts on helping to maintain the infrastructure, such as energy, water, telecommunications, government-operated institutions, and mail delivery.
Government officials have also said they want individuals and businesses to make their own contingency plans, and not to expect the federal government to roll in and run things during a pandemic.
The federal government is also in the process of stockpiling about 80 million doses of the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, which experts believe may be effective in treating pandemic flu, and plans to purchase enough vaccine to vaccinate 20 million Americans. By 2011, the government hopes to have a U.S. vaccine manufacturing capacity to be able to produce enough vaccine for the entire population within six months of an initial outbreak, according to a Congressional Budget Office report in May.
Federal officials are also concerned that the nation's telecommunications network will become overwhelmed during a pandemic, especially if thousands, even millions, of workers are forced to telecommute. Because of this, government officials plan on working with the industry to see how the infrastructure can be readied for a sudden surge in use.
Val Brickates Kennedy is a reporter for MarketWatch in Boston.
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1 | 2
Government: Business needs to plan for pandemic 9:28PM 7/9/2006 ? Val Brickates Kennedy
Preparing your business for a flu pandemic 9:28AM 7/9/2006 ? Val Brickates Kennedy
Retirement survival guide 12:01AM 6/22/2006 ? Andrea Coombes
Rising rates ease pressure on pension plans 12:01AM 6/22/2006 ? August Cole
Experts: Don't count on legislation to slow pension demise 12:01AM 6/22/2006 ? William L. Watts
By Val Brickates Kennedy, MarketWatch
Last Update: 9:29 PM ET Jul 9, 2006
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?dist=newsfinder&siteid=google&guid=%7B3E1A7510-BE34-4272-BC55-BB853BFBBE3E%7D&keyword=
<LABEL class=StoryContent id=StoryContent_Content>
BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Here are answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions about avian flu and the impact of a possible pandemic in the near future.
What exactly is 'avian flu'?
The avian flu is a strain of influenza that has decimated bird populations, particularly in Asia. In rare cases, the flu strain, formally known as H5N1, has also been passed on to humans who have had unusually close contact with sick birds or consumed raw infected poultry.
However, in treating those rare cases, doctors were alarmed at the swiftness with which the virus killed. They were also dismayed that most antiviral drugs appeared to be ineffective in battling the virus, which kills by destroying the lungs. The current strain of avian flu carries about a 50% mortality rate in humans. <!-- phatpath=news/story/2006/07/bird_flu.htm--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=385 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=375><!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan alt="[Spacer]" --> <!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" endspan --></TD><TD width=10></TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 width=375 bgColor=#cccccc border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=373 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=363 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=134>
Flu and your business
In the next several years, a deadly bird flu pandemic could hit the U.S. Is your business ready?
? Fed to businesses: On your own
? Do you have a plan for your business?
? Avian flu: What you need to know
? Steps for minimizing impact
To date, only about 228 confirmed cases of avian flu have been reported since 2003, with 130 of those dying from the illness, according to the World Health Organization.
Because flu strains are always mutating, health officials fear that H5N1 could quickly mutate into a virus that is easily transmitted between humans, which could result in a deadly international pandemic.
The U.S. has not seen a catastrophic flu pandemic since the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918, which killed over 50 million worldwide, including an estimated 675,000 in the U.S. alone, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
While great strides have been made in health care since that time, which should lower the mortality rate, officials also are quick to point out that advancements in travel will allow the virus to spread more quickly.
Major metropolitan areas, where people live and work in close quarters, will be the most vulnerable to avian flu, experts say.
How can I get pandemic flu?
What is important to remember about pandemic flu is that you'll only be able to get it through human contact, such as having an infected person sneeze or cough on you, or shaking the hand of a sick person. In some cases a person could also pick up the bug from items that were just handled by a sick person, such as a telephone receiver.
The flu virus will not be able to be spread through air ventilation systems, such as those in office buildings, according to Lisa Koonin of the Centers for Disease Control.
Another bit of heartening news is that common household cleaners, along with popular hand sanitizers, are extremely effective in killing flu germs. And once you've recovered from a particular strain of flu, you're immune to that strain, health officials say.
When and where will it hit first?
Although no one can predict when a pandemic might hit, many scientists believe there is a strong likelihood that an outbreak will emerge within the next several years. Because of modern air travel, no one can predict which region of the nation would be hit first.
What makes pandemic planning tricky is that no one can predict when the virus will mutate into one that is easily communicable. What most health experts do agree on, however, is that the mutation will likely be seen first in Asia, for a variety of environmental and demographic reasons.
If a pandemic virus emerges, Americans will have only one to three weeks to prepare, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
If a pandemic takes hold in the U.S., Americans should anticipate the virus to strike in regionalized waves that can last from four to eight weeks. The 1918 pandemic, for example, had three waves. The entire pandemic could last up to two years.
What about a vaccine?
Vaccines are created from the viruses themselves. Because of this, an effective avian flu vaccine cannot be produced until a pandemic strain is identified. While the government plans to order batches of vaccine based on current strains of the virus, which is not easily transmitted to people, it is unclear how effective that vaccine would be against a strain that triggered a human pandemic.
</LABEL>
9:28PM 7/9/2006 Government: Business needs to plan for pandemic
? Val Brickates Kennedy9:28AM 7/9/2006 Preparing your business for a flu pandemic
? Val Brickates Kennedy12:01AM 6/22/2006 Retirement survival guide
? Andrea Coombes12:01AM 6/22/2006 Rising rates ease pressure on pension plans
? August Cole12:01AM 6/22/2006 Experts: Don't count on legislation to slow pension demise
? William L. Watts</LABEL><LABEL class=StoryContent>
Also complicating matters is that it takes up to nine months to manufacture flu vaccine. While researchers are looking for ways to cut that to four, many Americans would probably have to ride out at least a first wave of a pandemic without being inoculated.
What could I expect during a pandemic?
Currently, U.S. officials are forecasting that up to 30% of all Americans could contract the disease, resulting in about 209,000 deaths for a "moderate" pandemic. A "severe" pandemic, like the one seen in 1918, could result in 1.9 million deaths in the U.S. alone, according to www.pandemicflu.gov.
The government says the most effective way to combat a pandemic is to discourage physical contact between people, which would be difficult, especially in major cities.
Americans in stricken areas should expect substantial disruptions in transportation. Mass transit systems may be temporarily shut down, and only limited traffic allowed through airports and train stations. If a region is particularly hard-hit, state or local officials may restrict highway access.
If a wave comes through your area, schools and daycare centers are likely to close. Mass gatherings would be discouraged, although it is unclear if places such as malls would be immediately closed. In 1918, when the pandemic was at its grimmest, even church services were cancelled in affected areas.
What will the government do?
The federal government has emphasized that it will focus its efforts on helping to maintain the infrastructure, such as energy, water, telecommunications, government-operated institutions, and mail delivery.
Government officials have also said they want individuals and businesses to make their own contingency plans, and not to expect the federal government to roll in and run things during a pandemic.
The federal government is also in the process of stockpiling about 80 million doses of the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, which experts believe may be effective in treating pandemic flu, and plans to purchase enough vaccine to vaccinate 20 million Americans. By 2011, the government hopes to have a U.S. vaccine manufacturing capacity to be able to produce enough vaccine for the entire population within six months of an initial outbreak, according to a Congressional Budget Office report in May.
Federal officials are also concerned that the nation's telecommunications network will become overwhelmed during a pandemic, especially if thousands, even millions, of workers are forced to telecommute. Because of this, government officials plan on working with the industry to see how the infrastructure can be readied for a sudden surge in use.
Val Brickates Kennedy is a reporter for MarketWatch in Boston.
</LABEL>
1 | 2
Government: Business needs to plan for pandemic
9:28PM 7/9/2006 ? Val Brickates KennedyPreparing your business for a flu pandemic
9:28AM 7/9/2006 ? Val Brickates KennedyRetirement survival guide
12:01AM 6/22/2006 ? Andrea CoombesRising rates ease pressure on pension plans
12:01AM 6/22/2006 ? August ColeExperts: Don't count on legislation to slow pension demise
12:01AM 6/22/2006 ? William L. Watts