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Master's Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Health - Public Health, grade: Merit, University of Portsmouth, language: English, abstract: Influenza pandemics represent natural phenomena that occur at irregular intervals throughout the centuries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a pandemic is triggered when an influenza virus which was not previously circulating among humans and to which most people don't have immunity emerges and transmits among humans. In essence, a pandemic influenza could lead to numerous contemporaneous epidemics all over the world with high amounts of cases and deaths. Due to increasing global transport and urbanisation, pandemics triggered by a new influenza virus would spread rapidly around the world (WHO, 2005). Therefore, it is important that authorities are prepared to recognise and manage pandemic influenza and, in this way, minimise its destructive potential on economy and society. Thus, it might be within the bounds of possibility to limit the spread of the pandemic influenza virus strain, which would lead to a reduction of the number of hospitalisations and fatalities.
This dissertation aims at analysing the status quo of pandemic influenza preparedness in Portsmouth and the University of Portsmouth, respectively. Beyond that, it intends to gain an impression of the level of awareness towards pandemic influenza among students of the University of Portsmouth. The dissertation focuses on the following aspects:
(1) What characterises a pandemic influenza?
(2) What has already been done in terms of planning for a pandemic influenza in Portsmouth?
(3) What has already been done in terms of planning for a pandemic influenza at the University of Portsmouth?
(4) In what way are students aware of the pandemic influenza threat?
