Editorial

An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that rapidly spreads on a global scale, infecting a large proportion of humanity. Pandemics occur when a new strain of influenza, to which humanity has never been exposed (and, therefore, lacks immunity) spreads easily from human to human worldwide. This is in contrast to the usual and regular seasonal influenza epidemics. Also in contrast to the normal influenza, pandemics are usually more severe in their symptoms, complication and mortality rates.

The most severe recorded to date was the 1918 "Spanish" flu, which left an estimated 50 million dead people worldwide. More recent examples include the Asian flu in 1957 and the Hong Kong flu in 1968, each having claimed one million lives. Current epidemiological models project pandemic global fatalities at between two and seven million deaths.

A pandemic virus would spread rapidly due to the high level of global traffic, vaccines and antibiotics and antivirals would be initially in short supply for a period of up to several months, hospitals and medical facilities would be overwhelmed, with the virus also involving crucial medical and paramedical personnel.

The World Health Organisation had warned of a significant risk of such a pandemic in the next few years, with the strongest candidate being the H5N1 subtype. There is a high level of concern that a new strain of H1N1 influenza may be responsible for a pandemic.

Symptoms include fever, sore throat, muscle pains, headache, coughing, weakness and fatigue. This may be complicated by potentially fatal pneumonia, particularly in the very young and the very old. The virus is predominantly transmitted by aerosols, typically by coughs and sneezes from infected individuals.

Malta has prepared for the eventuality of a pandemic by several processes. Mitigation: prevention, surveillance and early detection of cases. Planning and preparedness. Actual response in an attempt to decrease morbidity, mortality and general social and economic disruption. And, finally, plans to expedite the country's recovery.

As reports of suspected and confirmed cases continue to pour in from across the globe, including in Europe, WHO says it will not as yet invoke the highest health threat level, or phase six, but decided to keep it at phase five, indicating a pandemic is imminent. There was some good news over the past hours as officials in Mexico, where it seems to have started, said the rapid spread of the H1N1 virus could be slowing. The Mexican authorities cancelled the traditional gatherings of workers to celebrate May Day, as the country went into a five-day holiday in the hope that this would minimise public contact and slow the viral spread down even more.

Clearly, pandemic flu carries a substantive threat to health and the economy. Hence the need for any administration, including, of course, in Malta, to seek to constantly reassure the public with regard to its exact preparedness. The people also need to be continuously informed about the health system's ability to face such a threat, particularly in the case that the treatment of many patients would become a necessity. The health authorities have been insisting that all necessary measures are being taken. However, in order to ensure that all are alert to anything suspicious without, however, panicking, a more thorough and better-planned information/education campaign would be in order. The sooner this is put into action, the better.