DETTOL Germ Protection Centre: 10 Things You Need to Know

10 Things Your Family Needs to Know about the Avian Influenza

Every winter, many people in the UK experience the debilitating symptoms of seasonal influenza. Flu symptoms often start suddenly and include a fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness, a dry cough, sore throat, a runny or blocked nose and sneezing.
The viruses that cause flu spread in tiny droplets expelled from the mouth and nose of an infected person when they talk, cough or sneeze. You can catch flu if you breathe in these droplets or pick them up from a surface, such as a used tissue or a door handle, and transfer them to your nose or eyes.
New strains of flu virus continually evolve. When a new strain acquires the ability to spread easily from one person to another, then a flu pandemic (a worldwide outbreak of disease) can occur.
The bird flu virus (H5N1) that is causing outbreaks of disease in poultry and other birds does not easily transfer to humans and so far, the ability of this virus to spread from one person to another seems limited. There have been no human cases of H5N1 in the UK.
During March/April 2009, a new strain of swine flu virus emerged in Mexico, and started to cause illness in humans. This new strain then began spreading rapidly from person to person in many countries, including the UK. On 11 June 2009, the World Health Organisation announced the start of a swine flu pandemic, meaning that the virus had started to spread to people all around the globe.
Scientists are working as quickly as possible to develop a vaccine to protect people from swine flu. The first doses should be available in October 2009. Those at greatest risk will be vaccinated first.
Until a vaccine is available, good hygiene practices are one of our main defences against pandemic swine flu.
As is the case with seasonal flu viruses, thorough hand washing with soap and water can help stop pandemic swine flu spreading.
Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that may be contaminated with flu viruses helps to stop the germs spreading. Surfaces that people often touch, such as door handles, taps and work surfaces, are more likely to spread infections, so they need cleaning and disinfecting frequently.
During the pandemic, you should follow the advice issued by the Department of Health and the government. This is widely available online and via newspapers, television and radio.