Avian Flu Overview

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With the current outbreaks of avian influenza in humans that began in Southeast Asia in 2003, worldwide concern about the possibility of an influenza pandemic continues to grow. Although the feared mutation of the avian H5N1 virus to a strain that can be passed easily from human to human has not yet occured, health organizations around the globe are stressing the need to prepare for a possible pandemic, which many in the scientific and medical community feel is inevitable.

Click here for up to date information on Human Cases of Avian Influenza

Current Phase of Alert
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the world is presently in Phase 3: a new influenza virus subtype is causing disease in humans, but is not yet spreading efficiently among humans.

Click here for up to date Pandemic Phase Alert information

The CDC Pandemic Severity Index
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has introduced
a Pandemic Severity Index, which uses case fatality
ratio to categorize the severity of a pandemic. The index is designed to help estimate the impact of a pandemic
on the U.S. population and to allow more effective recommendations to be made on the use of mitigation interventions.

Click here to learn more about mitigation strategies tied to the various index levels

¹ Avian Influenza, Including Influenza A (H5N1), in Humans: WHO Interim Infection Control Guideline for Health Care Facilities, p.14, World Health Organization, Amended April 24, 2006