"What is the fatality rate of the flu?"
So far, the bird flu has killed about half of infected persons. I've read that in a flu pandemic, the flu mutates into a form that is less fatal to people. This is because the less fatal version of the flu can infect more people, so it comes to dominate the more fatal version by making more copies of itself. I've heard that during the flu pandemic of 1918, the flu had a 3% fatality rate in the U.S., and higher elsewhere. Those are not odds that I'd like to play.
"How does the flu virus mutate?"
The way a virus replicates itself is by going inside a cell inside an animal or human, then tricking the cell into making copies of the different parts of itself by substituting its genetic material for the cells. These different parts assemble themselves into complete viruses and then exit from the cell (to go on to infect other cells in the same or a different animal or person). The kind of flu virus that we're concerned about causing a pandemic would be the result of both a human flu virus and a bird flu virus replicating in the same cell in an animal, like a bird or a pig, and mixing together during the assembly process. There is a possibility that the resulting virus would be both highly virulent and completely unrecognizable by the body's defenses, resulting in widespread infection amongst a large segment of the human population.
"Can I catch the flu from my dog/could a flu pandemic start from the dog flu?"
No, see: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pets_related_news_and_events/questions_about_canine_flu.html
"I caught the flu, what should I do?"
The symptoms of flu are: fever, headache, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches (other symptoms of bird flu are: eye infections (conjunctivitis), pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, viral pneumonia, and other severe and life-threatening complications). If you have some of these symptoms, tell your healthcare provider about it beforehand and do what he or she says to include going to see your healthcare provider. Observe cough etiquette to prevent the spread of the flu to other persons. If you're too weak to do this, just call 911 and ask for help. I'm sorry that you caught the flu.
There's talk of turning schools and stadiums into makeshift hospitals if there's a flu pandemic. I suspect that the nursing staff will be short-handed and that staying in one of these hospitals will be an unpleasant experience. You will have a better chance of survival by going than you would if you tried to stay at home with the flu, though. Better still would be not to catch the flu in the first place.
Getting a regular flu shot every year is a good idea. If you do and you come down with the symptoms of flu, you'll know it's of the pandemic variety and that you should seek medical attention. If you don't get a flu shot and come down with the ordinary flu (which kills over 30,000 people a year, by the way), and then go to your healthcare provider, you run the risk of catching the pandemic variety while you are there - although there are plans to segregate waiting areas to protect people.
I've read on the internet that getting a pneumonia shot is a good idea because people who catch the flu can catch pneumonia while their immune system is fighting off the flu. But my doctor says that the pneumonia that the shot protects against is different than the pneumonia that you get after you catch the flu. Getting a pneumonia shot is still a good idea for people over 65.
I asked my doctor if taking interferon to boost the immune system's response would help after catching the flu. She said that it's not yet known what type of interferon might help, and that taking it could even weaken the immune system's response to flu.
"Health officials are saying the only way not to catch the flu is to stay at home until the pandemic is over, so why are your precautions worth anything?"
Good question. It's true that the only way not to catch the flu is to stay at home without visitors. If you have the resources to do this, by all means, please do. But if you're like the rest of us and can't afford to wait as long as it takes for a pandemic to end (I can't get two years worth of groceries into my apartment, and I usually need to go to the doctor more often than that), or you're a person who's critical to the functioning of our economy, please feel free to take these precautions to attempt to survive the pandemic. Good luck, you're going to need it.
"How do I tell if I've got a cold or the flu?"
See: http://www.webmd.com/content/pages/5/4068_101.htm?SRC=Google&Placement=coldflu
"Should I stop eating poultry and eggs to avoid catching the flu?"
According to the WHO website, the answer is no, cooking destroys the flu virus, so it's safe to eat poultry and eggs provided that they're properly cooked (no pink parts and/or no runny yolks, cook till 158 degrees Fahrenheit). See The World Health Organization's site.
More questions
Send questions or suggestions to: sean at fluviruspandemic dot info