What is the expected impact of an influenza pandemic in Canada?
Just as we do not know when the next pandemic will strike, we cannot predict how severe it will be. That will depend on the influenza strain that emerges, how easily it spreads, which groups of people are affected, and how effectively we respond. Assuming a moderately severe pandemic, and in the absence of a pandemic vaccine and antivirals, it is estimated that between 15 and 35 percent of Canadians could become ill, 34,000 to 138,000 individuals may need to be hospitalized; and between 11,000 and 58,000 deaths could occur.
