What is an influenza (flu) pandemic?
The Tasmanian Government takes the threat of pandemic influenza very seriously. The word pandemic (from the Greek language pan meaning all, and demos meaning people) is used to describe an epidemic that affects the whole population across every continent.
An influenza pandemic occurs when:
- a new subtype of influenza virus emerges in humans to which most people have not previously exposed and are, therefore, highly susceptible.
- the virus causes serious disease in humans
- the virus is easily and rapidly spread between humans, infecting large numbers of people worldwide and causing many deaths.
There have been three pandemics in the last 100 years, with varying levels of impact.
Why plan?
A flu pandemic could have a huge impact on every business, service provider, community and family in Tasmania - not just through illness and loss of life, but through the possible impact it could have on health services, the workforce, the availability of goods and services, the economy and community life.
Preparing, responding and recovering from a pandemic requires commitment from the whole community.
Everyone has a role to play in reducing the impact of an influenza pandemic
Planning and preparing for a pandemic will help:
- keep the number of people infected down, so our health services can cope and the impact on our community (including the availability of workers, goods and services) is minimised
- maintain confidence that everyone can continue to work and move about in the community provided that appropriate precautions are in place.
Materials available on this website will help you to understand what pandemic means to you and what steps you can take to reduce the likely impact.
