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Anyone can get influenza, but it is typically more serious in the elderly and people with chronic
illnesses such as cancer, emphysema, or diabetes or weak immune systems. It is estimated
that thousands of people die each year in the United States from flu or related complications.
Pandemic Influenza
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A pandemic flu is a human flu that causes a global
outbreak, or pandemic, of serious illness. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus
emerges for which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine.
This disease spreads easily person-to-person, causing serious illness, and can sweep across
the country and around the world in a very short time. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) has been working closely with other countries and the World Health
Organization to strengthen systems to detect outbreaks of influenza that might cause a
pandemic and to assist with pandemic planning and preparation.
During 2009 and 2010 health professionals around the globe worked to combat the H1N1
influenza virus. This relatively mild and stable influenza virus circulated across the globe and
caused one of the most robust worldwide vaccination campaigns since the 1970s. Health
professionals continue to monitor the possibility of an avian (bird) flu pandemic associated with
a highly pathogenic avian H5N1 virus. Since 2003, avian influenza has been spreading through
Asia. A growing number of human H5N1 cases contracted directly from handling infected
poultry have been reported in Asia, Europe, and Africa, and more than half the infected people
have died. There has been no sustained human-to-human transmission of the disease, but the
concern is that H5N1 will evolve into a virus capable of human-to-human transmission.
An especially severe influenza pandemic could lead to high levels of illness, death, social
disruption, and economic loss. Impacts could range from school and business closings to the
interruption of basic services such as public transportation, health care, and the delivery of food
and essential medicines.
Pandemics are generally thought to be the result of novel strains of viruses. Because of the
process utilized to prepare vaccines, it is impossible to have vaccine pre-prepared to combat
pandemics. A portion of the human and financial cost of a pandemic is related to lag time to
prepare a vaccine to prevent future spread of the novel virus. In some cases, current vaccines
may have limited activity against novel strains.
Food borne Disease
Norovirus
Noroviruses are a group of related, single-stranded RNA, non-enveloped viruses that cause
acute gastroenteritis in humans. The most common symptoms of acute gastroenteritis are
diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Norovirus is the official genus name for the group of
viruses previously described as “Norwalk-like viruses” (NLV).
The incubation period for norovirus-associated gastroenteritis in humans is usually between 24
and 48 hours, but cases can occur within 12 hours of exposure. Norovirus infection usually
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