In this podcast Professor Robert Dingwall, Director of the 'Institute of Science and Society' at the University of Nottingham, and a member of the UK government’s Department of Heath committee on the ethical aspects of pandemic influenza, discusses the causes and potential impact of a flu pandemic on the UK. In particular, examining how prepared the UK government is to cope with the medical and social impacts of a flu pandemic, and what steps we can take as individuals to protect ourselves.