HHS Prepares for Flu Pandemic: 'Could Cause Over 60 Million

[dothedd]

7:39 AM, OCT 3, 2014
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic demonstrated how crucial it is to have active contracts with manufacturers to respond to an influenza pandemic event; in 2009 the Federal Government rapidly modified existing stockpile contracts and issued task orders to manufacturers to produce millions of doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine.

Obviously, HHS is "uncertain which influenza subtype will cause the next pandemic." Therefore, even though the government maintains a National Pre-pandemic Influenza Vaccine Stockpile, it may or not be effective against whichever flu strain is responsible for the pandemic. But with proven manufacturers under active contract capable of producing millions of doses of the appropriate vaccine, HHS is confident that, as the Public Health Medical Countermeasure Enterprise Review issued in August 2010 says, the United States has "a system that can respond to any threat at any time."

[dothedd]

MAYO  CLINIC
Diseases and Conditions 

Swine flu (H1N1 flu)

Definition
By Mayo Clinic Staff
Appointments & care

At Mayo Clinic, we take the time to listen, to find answers and to provide you the best care.


Technically, the term "swine flu" refers to influenza in pigs. Occasionally, pigs transmit influenza viruses to people, mainly to hog farmers and veterinarians. Less often, someone infected passes the infection to others.

The human respiratory infection caused by a particular influenza virus H1N1 strain — popularly known as swine flu — was first recognized in spring 2009. A few months after the first swine flu cases were reported, rates of confirmed H1N1-related illness were increasing in much of the world. As a result, the World Health Organization declared the infection a global pandemic.

The pandemic was declared over in August 2010. Currently, H1N1 is still circulating in humans as a seasonal flu virus and is included in the seasonal flu vaccine.

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/swine-flu/basics/definition/con-20034916