&EPA
Pandemic Influenza Fact Sheet for the Water Sector
Environmental Protection
Agency
What is Pandemic Influenza?
A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for
which people have little or no immunity, and for which there is no vaccine. The disease spreads easily
person-to-person, causes serious illness, and can sweep across the country and around the world in very
short time. In June 2009, the World Health Organization declared a global H1N1 influenza pandemic.
Why Should the Water Sector be Concerned About Pandemic Influenza?
In a severe pandemic, absenteeism will increase from illness, the need to care for ill family members, and
the fear of infection. This absenteeism can affect drinking water and wastewater system operators and
their capability to operate and maintain their systems adequately, thereby increasing the risks to public
health. Absenteeism would also affect workers from other essential and interdependent sectors such as
the transportation, power, and chemical sectors. It can have an adverse impact on services such as
delivery of chemicals and other essential materials and supplies.
Will Influenza Spread Through Drinking Water?
There are no reports of flu outbreaks from ingesting water. Influenza viruses are typically spread by
exposure to respiratory droplets created when infected persons cough or sneeze, not from ingesting
drinking water. Generally speaking, research has shown that chlorination and filtration methods that are
typically used are effective in removing viruses from drinking water. Where groundwater is used, virus
particles become diluted due to mixing with large volumes of groundwater. In those cases where there is
concern that untreated groundwater may have become contaminated with an influenza virus, public water
suppliers and private well users should contact their local and state drinking water and health experts to
determine if precautions should be taken before the well water is used for drinking water.
Will Influenza Spread Through Wastewater?
Viruses may survive in untreated wastewater. Thus, utilities should take extra precaution to ensure that
workers do not come into direct contact with untreated wastewater. However, research conducted to date
on water treatment has shown that chlorination, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and anaerobic digestion are
effective in eliminating certain influenza A virus subtypes from water. H1N1 and H5N1 are influenza A
virus subtypes.
What Can Water and Wastewater Utilities do to Prepare?
Utilities that do not prepare for the likelihood of pandemic flu may find themselves without the staff,
equipment, or supplies necessary to continue providing safe drinking water or treating wastewater for
their community. Utilities should integrate pandemic planning into existing business continuity and
emergency response plans using available guidance documents for assistance. Planning actions that
utilities may undertake include (1) identifying essential functions, services, processes, critical staffing
needs, and interdependent relationships, (2) assessing supply chains and coordinating with vendors, (3)
developing a communications strategy, and (4) working with community pandemic planners.
What is EPA Doing to Help Utilities Prepare?
EPA offers free tools and guidance materials to help utilities develop plans to prepare for and respond to
pandemic influenza outbreaks. All of these documents are available at a new EPA webpage
(http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecuritv/pandemicflu). Available resources include a Pandemic Flu
Tabletop Exercise for water and wastewater utilities, EPA Region 1's Top 10 List: Pandemic and Natural
Disasters Notebook, this fact sheet, and links to other useful websites and planning information.
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What Other Flu Specific Guidance is Available to Help Utilities Prepare?
• Current guidance is available at www.flu.gov including updated guidance and a communication
toolkit for businesses and employers.
• The Department of Homeland Security Annex: Water and Wastewater Sector Pandemic
Guideline is available at (www.amwa.net/cs/security).
• The National Rural Water Association's Small System Pandemic Influenza Checklist Association
of Metropolitan Water Agencies' Business Continuity Planning in the Event of an Influenza
Pandemic: A Reference Guide are available from these associations.
• Read your State's pandemic plan (www.flu.gov/plan/states/stateplans.html').
• Also, consult OSHA guidelines on how to prepare your workplace and protect employees during
a pandemic (www.osha.gov/Publications/influenza_pandemic.html).
Will Vaccines be Available?
Vaccination is one of the most effective ways to minimize suffering and death from influenza. The U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services is the lead agency for expanding domestic influenza vaccine
production capacity and producing a pandemic influenza vaccine. However, at the beginning of a
pandemic, the scarcity of a vaccine will require that the limited supply be allocated or prioritized for
distribution and administration. The U.S. Government has developed Guidance on Allocating and
Targeting Pandemic Influenza Vaccine (www.flu.gov/vaccine/allocationguidance.pdf). This document
provides guidance to states, territories, and tribes on the allocation of limited supplies of pandemic
vaccine to different population groups, such as those who maintain essential community services like the
water sector. This guidance may be modified based on the status of vaccine technology, the
characteristics of pandemic illness, and risk groups for severe disease—factors that are unknown until a
pandemic actually occurs.
CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), a panel made up of medical and public
health experts, met July 29, 2009, to make recommendations on who should receive the new H1N1
vaccine when it becomes available. While some issues are still unknown, such as how severe the virus
will be during the fall and winter months, the ACIP considered several factors, including current disease
patterns, populations most at-risk for severe illness based on current trends in illness, hospitalizations and
deaths, how much vaccine is expected to be available, and the timing of vaccine availability. Additional
information on these recommendations is available at http://www.cdc.gov/h 1 n 1 flu/vaccination/acip.htm.
What Other Interventions May be Used?
There are a number of interventions that will be implemented to mitigate the effects of an influenza
pandemic. Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and infection control techniques
such as hand-washing and cough etiquette will play a critical role in pandemic mitigation. Antiviral drugs
may help prevent infection in people considered at risk and lessen the impact of symptoms in those
infected with influenza. Antiviral drugs can also be used for prevention, and public and private sector
entities may choose to stockpile antiviral drugs for this purpose.
Where Can I go for Additional Information?
Visit www.flu.gov. This site is managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and
provides one-stop access to U.S. government pandemic, H1N1, and avian (H5N1) influenza information.
Office of Water (4608-T) EPA 817-F-09-005 August 2009 www.epa.gov/watersecuritv
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