What would happen during an Influenza Pandemic?
It is very difficult to estimate what might occur in the event of an influenza pandemic. Experts believe that pandemic influenza could reach Canada within three months of being detected anywhere in the world. People would be expected to be ill for about 7 to 10 days. The pandemic would have its maximum effect on the Canadian population within 5-7 months and could last up to 18 months. Using information from the last three pandemics and a disease model developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a pandemic could potentially result in between 9,000 – 51,000 deaths in Canada if a vaccine were not available. A severe shortage of hospital beds and health care workers could also occur.
