Pandemic Flu - Influenza

Advice about pandemic flu and how to protect yourself and your family.

What is Pandemic Flu?

A pandemic is an epidemic of a disease that spreads quickly and reaches many countries across the world. Pandemic influenza (flu) has symptoms that are similar to ordinary seasonal influenza, but they are more severe and can cause deaths.

Flu viruses are always changing, and new strains emerge. When a flu virus appears that is so different from all of the others that we do not have any immunity (resistance) to it, it can spread quickly and become a pandemic.

Concerns have recently increased as a result of the spread of bird flu (avian influenza). If this virus mixes with a human flu virus, a new flu virus may be created, which could potentially cause a pandemic. For more about avian influenza, go to our Bird Flu pages in this section.

Pandemic flu can occur at any time of the year and is different to the ordinary seasonal flu that occurs every winter in the UK for which flu jabs are available.

Information Leaflets to Download

The Department of Health (DH) has published an advice leaflet Pandemic Flu: Important Information for You and Your Family, which you can download in English or 20 other languages.

Printed copies of the leaflet are available from doctors surgeries.

The DH website also has another useful leaflet Explaining Pandemic Flu: A Guide from the Chief Medical Officer. The DH also have answers to frequently asked questions, key facts, and the UK Health Departments' Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan.