Seasonal Flu vs Pandemic Flu: What's the Difference?
For most people, if they get sick with H1N1 influenza, it will feel the same as regular “seasonal” flu.
A “Pandemic” influenza is different from seasonal influenza because fewer people are immune to it, so more people get sick, and more people may die from it.
Seasonal Flu vs. Pandemic Flu What’s the Difference?
Seasonal Influenza
- Seasonal flu happens every year between November and April
- Affects 10-25 % of Canadians each year
- The flu results in an average of 20,000 hospitalizations and 4,000 deaths in Canada each year
- Most people recover within a week or ten days
- Some people are at greater risk of more severe complications, such as pneumonia:
- Those over 65
- Adults and children with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cancer
Pandemic Influenza
- Many years pass between pandemics. The last three pandemics occurred in 1918-19, 1957-58 and 1968-69.
- More people (15-35% of the population) can get sick
- More people may die - 11,000 to 58,000 (without vaccination or anti-viral drugs) in Canada
- The people who die include young, otherwise healthy people
- The virus comes back in “waves” of infection, with the second and third waves often being more severe