NEPAL FLU PANDEMIC: CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS

3621 WORDS

Short notes on the flu, influenza and Pandemic

Influenza also called as flu, is a respiratory illness that is caused by a virus. Flu is highly contagious and is usually spread by the coughs and sneezes of a person who is infected. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 5% to 15% of the world’s population is infected by flu each year.

The symptoms of flu are:

High temperature, Joints and limbs pain, headache, fatigue, gastro intestinal symptoms that linger for about a week.

The Precautions that should be taken during flu attack are

Stay at home

Avoid contact with other people

Keep yourself warm and rest

Consume plenty of liquids

Avoid alcohol

Through vaccination that protects you for about two weeks

There are three types of flu viruses ie infuenza A, influenza B and influenza C. Types A and B viruses are the cause of seasonal epidemics and it infect about 20% population of the world each year. The type C influenza virus may cause respiratory illness of mild nature but is not responsible for epidemics. Proteins on the surface of influenza A viruses can be divided into subtypes – the hemagglutinin (H) and the neuraminidase (N). 16 different hemagglutinin subtypes and 9 different neuraminidase subtypes are known to exist. A H1N1 and H3N2 are the current subtypes of influenza A viruses found in people. There are no B virus subtypes, but there are different influenza B virus strains.

Pandemic

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. It needs global resources to contain the effect of disease. Influenza pandemic means a global outbreak of disease caused by a new type of virus. The past evidences and study suggest that flu pandemic virus spread in all parts of the globe within six to nine months. Due to the changed scenario of the world ie globalization and speed of air travel, influenza pandemic could spread much more quickly. A pandemic usually occur in waves but all parts of the world may not be affected at the same time. The records of pandemic in the world are:

Spanish influenza killed 40-50 million people in 1918.

Asian influenza killed 2 million people in 1957.

Hong Kong influenza killed 1 million people in 1968.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion Cluster