A
Adjuvant: substance added to a drug in order to reinforce its action
Antiflu vaccine: substance prepared from an influenza virus (of type A and B) and inoculated into persons wishing to protect themselves against seasonal influenza. Given that the virus undergoes mutations, a new vaccine must be perfected every year.
Antigen: any substance which, appearing in an organism which does not possess it, stimulates the formation of a specific antibody in this organism
Antiviral: substance active against certain influenza viruses (Tamiflu® and Relenza® are inhibitors of neuraminidase). An antiviral is not to be confused with an antiflu vaccine.
Antiviral medicine: medicine active against certain influenaz viruses (Tamiflu® and Relenza® are inhibitors of neuraminidase). An antiviral medicine is not to be confused with an antiflu vaccine.
Avian influenza: cf. Bird flu
B
Bird flu (avian influenza): infectious disease spread throughout the world usually only infecting birds (wild or domestic), but which can affect other animal species like pigs, horses or cats. In exceptional circumstances, the bird flu virus can be transmitted from animals to humans (close, repeated and prolonged contact with infected animals or their excrement).
The bird flu illness is caused by the type A flu virus (influenza virus), which includes 16 subtypes H and 9 subtypes N. Subtypes H5 and H7 of the bird flu are particularly pathogenic, in particular the subtype H5N1, and may also contaminate humans.
C
Clinical sign: objective symptom of an illness
Confinement: confinement indoors, in a limited and protected space. Ban on animals leaving the stable or ban on people leaving the room.
Contamination: invasion of a living organism by pathogenic microorganisms (infection)
Crossing the species barrier: under certain conditions, a virus which is pathogenic for one species (e.g. birds) may become pathogenic for another species (e.g. humans) and provoke the same symptoms as in the first species
D
Diagnosis: determination of an illness according to its symptoms and/or additional analyses (laboratory results, X-rays, etc)
E
Endemic: illness which manifests itself in a human in a specific region or within a community, either by being constantly rife or by returning for specific periods
Epidemic: development of an illness or a pathological phenomenon rapidly and simultaneously affecting numerous individuals spread over a more or less extensive area
Epizootic: epidemic which strikes animals with an exceptionally rapid increase and propagation of the number of cases in the same species or different species which have contracted a transmissible illness, limited in time and space
Excrement: solid material (faecal) or fluid material (nasal mucus, sweat, urine) evacuated by natural passages in the human or animal body
Exposed: subjected to a risk (e.g. a source of infection)
F
Flu pandemic: particular form of human influenza which can occur on a world scale following a genetic mutation or reassortment of an influenza virus which would consequently allow human-to-human transmission. The population not being immunised against this virus, it would cause high morbidity and mortality.
Foul pest: term formerly used to describe bird flu. As bird flu is caused by a virus, it is not correct to speak of foul pest from a medical point of view, given that pest is caused by a bacteria.
Cf. Bird flu
H
H: cf. Haemagglutinin
H1N1: The present influenza A(H1N1) virus is a new virus subtype of influenza affecting humans, which contains segments of genes from pig, bird and human influenza viruses in a combination that has never been observed before anywhere in the world. New viruses are often the result of a reassortment of genes from two other viruses. This A(H1N1) virus is the result of a combination of two swine influenza viruses that contained genes of avian and human origin. There is no evidence that this reassortment occurred in Mexico.
H5N1: subtype of the bird flu virus which affects animals and, exceptionally, humans. The virus can cross the species barrier in cases of direct and prolonged contact with a sick animal in a confined space or with their infected excrement.
Haemagglutinin (H): antigen on the surface of the type A bird flu virus. In principle the latter contains two surface antigens (H = haemagglutinin and N = neuraminidase).
I
Incubation (period): time which passes between the introduction of a pathogenic agent into an organism and the appearance of the first symptoms of an illness
Infect: contaminate
Influenza: flu
Influenza A(H1N1): the influenza A(H1N1) virus is a new human virus resulting from a combination of genes with different origins, porcine, avian and human. This virus was first detected in Mexico in March 2009 and is characterised by human-to-human transmission.
Influenza virus: virus responsible for human flu and animal flus
Inhibitor: substance which slows down or completely stops a chemical or physiological reaction
Isolated case: one which is not part of a chain of transmission
Isolation: keeping sick animals or humans separate from others
K
Killing: elimination of animals in a campaign against epizootic
L
Lethal: fatal
M
Mask / Surgical mask: the surgical mask is reserved for sick private individuals in order to avoid contaminating their surroundings
Mask / FFP2 mask: the FFP2 mask (Filtering Facepiece Particles level 2) is reserved for health professionals, who are in regular contact with sick people
Morbid: related to illness
Morbidity: sum of illnesses which have struck an individual or a group of humans during a specific period
Mortality: quantity of humans who succumb to the same illness expressed in a mortality rate (ratio between the number of deaths and the population figure when they occur within a specific period, generally the average year or from the start to the end of a pandemic)
Mutation (genetic): genes in an animal influenza virus change allowing the virus to infect humans and transmit easily among them
N
N: cf. Neuraminidase
Neuraminidase (N): antigen on the surface of the type A influenza virus. In principle the latter contains two surface antigens (H = haemagglutinin and N = neuraminidase).
O
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®): antiviral medicine (inhibitor of neuraminidase) marketed under the name of Tamiflu®, effective against an influenza virus. An antiviral medicine is not to be confused with an antiflu vaccine.
Outbreak: sudden manifestation of numerous cases of illness
P
Pandemic: epidemic which extends to a continent, a hemisphere or the entire world, provoking high morbidity and mortality among humans
Pathogenic: able to cause illness
Prophylactic: which prevents, which avoids illness
R
Reassortment (genetic): genes in an animal influenza virus change allowing the virus to infect humans and transmit easily among them
Relenza® (zanamivir): antiviral medicine (inhibitor of neuraminidase) effective against an influenza virus. An antiviral medicine is not to be confused with an antiflu vaccine.
S
Sanitary culling: action consisting of killing and eliminating animals in a campaign against epizootic
Seasonal influenza: infectious disease of the upper respiratory tracts caused by the flu virus (influenza virus) which is divided into three types: A, B and C.
- Type A viruses, including 16 subtypes H and 9 subtypes N, regularly infect a high number of people, generally in winter, with the disease sometimes proving fatal. Type A viruses are the only ones also to affect certain animals (pigs, horses, birds and so on).
- Type B viruses cause respiratory affections of a certain seriousness.
- Type C viruses are not considered a cause for concern, and they are responsible inter alia for very benign respiratory ailments.
Secretion: physiological phenomenon by which a tissue produces a specific substance, which can either be introduced into the blood, or seep to the surface of a mucus or be secreted by an excretory channel
Species barrier: difficulty or impossibility for an infectious agent to be transmitted from one species to another (due to differences between species)
Squalene: lipidic substance that occurs naturally in plants, animals and humans. It is also present in certain foodstuffs, cosmetic products, etc.
Strain: all the organisms of a same species
Subtype: variant of an A virus (e.g. H1N1 or H5N1)
Suspicion: provisional diagnosis of an illness awaiting further examination or a response from a laboratory
T
Tamiflu® (Oseltamivir): antiviral medicine (inhibitor of neuraminidase) effective against an influenza virus. An antiviral medicine is not to be confused with an antiflu vaccine.
V
Vaccine: substance prepared from microbes, viruses or parasites which, inoculated into a living being, gives immunity against the corresponding germ. A vaccine is not to be confused with an antiviral medicine.
Virulent: infectious, contagious
Virus: infectious agent which can only develop in a living cell
W
Web-footed: animal species with toes joined by a membrane
Z
Zanamivir (Relenza®): antiviral medicine (inhibitor of neuraminidase) effective against an influenza virus. An antiviral medicine is not to be confused with an antiflu vaccine.
Zoonosis: illness of vertebrate animals, domestic or not, transmissible to humans, under natural conditions, with a possibility of inverse contagion
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