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H1n1 Influenza Pandemics

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How has the Federal Government dealt with pandemic Influenza outbreaks in the past? In previous years, there have been many outbreaks of the influenza virus in many different strains. These outbreaks have occurred all over the world, ranging from the worst Influenza outbreak in history, the “Spanish Flu” of 1918, to the first Influenza outbreaks of the 21st century, the “Swine Flu” waves of 2009 and 2010. In the United States, the federal government works closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDC, and the World Health Organization, the WHO, to track seasonal influenza activity, which includes H1N1. The WHO has a Global Influenza Program that “provides global standards for influenza surveillance and collects and analyzes …show more content…

The 2009 and 2010 H1N1 waves of Swine Flu caused the first influenza pandemics in the United States to occur in more than forty years prior. By April 21st, 2009, the federal government was already working closely and meticulously with the CDC to develop a vaccine for this new, deadly strain of influenza. On April 26th, the United States federal government declared H1N1 a national
Lane 3 public health emergency, or, “an event, either natural or man-made, that creates a health risk to the public” (Tazewell). By June 11th, the WHO raised the global influenza pandemic alert to the highest phase six level. Luckily, a vaccine was manufactured to prevent this strain from creating another, more deadly, influenza pandemic like the ones in the past.
According to Elsevier’s Influenza Epidemic/Pandemic website, “Historic records indicate that influenza pandemics have been among us for many centuries. A report …show more content…

In a few
Lane 4 short months, it affected forty to fifty percent of the population. The mortality rate was approximately one in four thousand, with the death rate exceeding one million cases.
The H3N2 Hong Kong Flu or “Avian Flu” of 1968 and the H1N1 “Russian Flu” of 1977 also appeared to begin at an unknown location somewhere in China. In both cases, the outbreaks spread quickly and consistently to go on and affect India, Iran, Australia, North America, and Russia. Between both instances of these pandemics, roughly sixty thousand deaths were recorded.
In any North American pandemic occurrence, the U.S. federal government will work actively with the CDC and the WHO to find the source of the outbreak as well as ensure that a vaccine is created to prevent said pandemics from spreading further and resulting in more unnecessary

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