Influenza, the “flu,” is a febrile (fever-causing) respiratory illness caused by an influenza virus. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) takes seriously the threat that influenza – both seasonal flu and pandemic (avian or bird) flu – poses to our veteran patients, our staff, our medical system, and the Nation and is taking several actions against this family of diseases.

Seasonal flu is a form that regularly circulates in humans, usually in winter, and that vaccines are developed against annually. Seasonal flu can cause significant illness and in some cases death.

Pandemic flu occurs when a flu strain new to humans quickly emerges and cause widespread illness. This new strain can originate from the resorting of human and animal, such as bird or avian, strains that leads to sustained human-to-human transmission. (Resorting has not happened yet with the current H5N1 avian flu, but the potential is there.) These new strains are dangerous because humans have little pre-existing immunity to them, because vaccines may not be immediately available, and because antiviral medicines may be less effective than for seasonal flu. Past influenza pandemics have led to high levels of illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss.

Go to these websites to learn more about influenza & the vaccine: http://www.publichealth.va.gov/flu/ and http://www.cdc.gov/flu/