What is a flu pandemic? The flu is a respiratory illness caused by a virus. Every winter, many people get the flu. This is called the seasonal flu.
When many people get the same type of flu at the same time all over the world, it is called a Flu Pandemic. The flu pandemic is much more serious than the seasonal flu because it spreads quickly and the risk of becoming very ill or even dying is much higher.
The current outbreak involves a new virus that contains parts from influenza viruses from birds, pigs and humans.
Symptoms of H1N1 flu (swine flu) are the same as the seasonal flu and it includes: fever, headache, cough, muscle aches, sore throat, chills, weakness or fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Influenza is transmitted from person to person via coughs and sneezes that release germs into the air where they can be breathed in by others. Germs can also be transferred by hands and on hard surfaces like counters and doorknobs.
The World Health Organization has raised the alert level for pandemic influenza preparedness and is calling on all countries and populations to participate in preventing the transmission of Influenza A (H1N1). South Riverdale CHC is actively participating in preventing transmission by screening everyone for flu symptoms at the door.
To get more information and local updates, please visit www.toronto.ca/health.
For information about travel, call 1-800-454-8302 or visit www.phac-aspc.gc.ca
For health-related questions, call TeleHealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000
For general information on the Influenza A (H1N1), call the ServiceOntario INFOline 1-800-476-9708.
Click here for the English version of the Frequently Asked Questions about H1N1 Influenza.
Click here for the Chinese version of the Frequently Asked Questions about H1N1 Influenza.
Click here for the Tamil version of the Frequently Asked Questions about H1N1 Influenza.
Click here for the Vietnamese version of the Frequently Asked Questions about H1N1 Influenza.