H1N1

676 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Epidemics and pandemics in human history paper

The influenza virus is a common human pathogen that can cause serious respiratory problems and even death. It has a potential to form into pandemics. A pandemic occurs when an influenza strain becomes easily transferred from one person to another. Pandemics are rare and usually only occur every 10-50 years. They cause a significant amount of human deaths. The H1N1 virus, or the swine flu, is what is going around now. It has affected many people worldwide, pin pointing Mexico and North America. (Khanna, 2009)
The H1N1 flu virus spread worldwide very rapidly. It rooted itself in the North American swine. These North American swine were traded among different countries, causing the H1N1 virus to other swine and mammals worldwide. Along with swine, ferrets, turkey, domestic cats and dogs, and more can contract the H1N1 virus. (Yong, 2009)) By May 11, 2009, 30 countries were infected with the H1N1 virus.(Smith et al., 2009) Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said that in the past they have received one human H1N1 virus infection in every one to two years. (Khanna, 2009) The first human case found occurred in a 17 year old who had been exposed to swine in a slaughter house in Wisconsin. (Zimmer et al., 2009) 1 in 5 people worldwide were infected with swine flu during the first year of the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic, an international research group said, but the death rate was just .002 percent. Even though, H1N1 spread very quickly, the death rate was very low. (Kelland, 2013)
The transmission of H1N1 is the same as the seasonal flu. The main transmission of the flu is from person to person by sneezing and coughing. Another way it can be transmitted from human to human is by touching something that an infected person touched and then to...

... middle of paper ...

...d cause a decent amount of deaths. Thankfully, Pandemics only occur every 10-50 years.

Works Cited

Khanna, M., Gupta, N., Gupta, A., & Vijayan, V. K. (2009, September). Influenza a (h1n1) 2009: a pandemic alarm. Retrieved from http://linkspringerr.com/article/10.1007/s12038-009-0053-z

Smith, G., Dhanasekaran, V., Bahl, J., Lycett, S., Worobey, M., Pybus, O., Kit Ma, S., & Cheund, C. (2009, June 25). Origins and evolutionary genomic of the 2009 swine-origin h1n1 influenza a epidemic. Retrieved from http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v459/n7250/abs/nature08182.html

Zimmer, S., & Burke, D. (2009, July 16). Historical perspective-emerge of influenza a (h1n1) viruses. Retrieved from http://www.nejm.org/10.1056/nejmra0904322

Swine-origin influenza a (h1n1) virus (swine flu) pandemic. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.iaff.org/hs/pdf/iaff_pandemic_flu_guide.pdf

Show More
Related

  • Government Responses and Expectations During the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...influenza pandemic in one way or another; the use of quarantines were extremely prevalent among them. Also, the pandemic is directly responsible for the creation of many health organizations across the globe. The organizations help track and research illnesses across the globe. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for example, strive to prevent epidemics and pandemics. They also provide a governing body with directives to follow in case an outbreak does occur, and if one shall occur the efforts of organizations across the globe will be crucial for its containment. It is amazing that with modern medicine and proper organization that influenza still manages to make its appearance across the globe annually.

    Read More

  • Hepatitis A Essay

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Other ways hepatitis A can be transmitted from person to person are through direct contact with an infected person, such as sexual contact, and sharing of needles for intravenous drug use. Hepatitis A can also be transmitted by coming in contact with contaminated food or water. Also, foods that are uncooked or undercooked and have been contaminated with Hepatitis A can transmit the virus. Bennett, A. J.,2016; World Health Organization, 2017) Hepatitis A can affect a person of any age group.

    Read More

  • The 1918-1919 Influenza Epidemic

    2713 Words  | 6 Pages

    John. M. Barry, The Great Influenza, The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History (New York: Penguin, 2004), 179

    Read More

  • The Plague

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    1. The contrast between Cottard and the other characters is that while everyone else is in constant fear of catching the plague and doing everything they can to fight the disease, Cottard is cheerful in the fact that the plague has put a stop to the police investigating his mysterious crime . Cottard probably also enjoys the camaraderie of everyone else finally being in the same position as he is.

    Read More

  • Influenza Virus' Economic and Social Disruption to Society

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Influenza virus is a unique respiratory viral disease that can have serious economic and social disruption to society. The virus is airborne transmitted through droplets release by coughing or sneezing from an infected person or by touching infected surfaces. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may even result in death. People with the virus usually experience fever, headache, shivering, muscle pain and cough, which can lead to more severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia. People most susceptible to the flu virus are elderly individuals and young children as well as anyone whose health or immune system has been compromise. The most effective way to counteract the influenza virus is to get the flu vaccine which is available by shots or nasal spray before the flu season as well as practicing safe hygiene. (CDC, 2013)

    Read More

  • Spanish Flu Pandemic In 1918

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    The influenza or flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, the deadliest in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide–about one-third of the planet’s population at the time–and estimates place the number of victims anywhere from 25 to 100 million. More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. Surprisingly, many flu victims were young, otherwise healthy adults. At the time, there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain or prevent its spread. In the U.S., citizens were ordered to wear masks, and schools, theaters and other public

    Read More

  • The Origins of the Spanish Flu of 1918

    1906 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The Site of Origin of The 1918 Influenza Pandemic and Its Public Health Implications.” Barry, John. US national Library of Health Medicine, January 20, 2004. Retrieved from:

    Read More

  • The Flu Shot Should Not Be Mandatory

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Essen, G. A., "The Socio-Economic Impact of Influenza". http://www.eswi.org/Bulletin_October_1997.cfm [2] Frayha, Husn. " Influenza Vaccination: A Call for Action" http://www.kfshrc.edu.sa/annals/176/97-248R.html [3] "Influenza". http://www.caw.ca/whatwedo/health&safety/factsheet/hsfssubstanceno37.asp

    Read More

  • The Black Death or Buponic Plague: Dead of the Population

    638 Words  | 2 Pages

    "Pandemic Flu History." Home. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Web. 23 Mar.

    Read More

  • The 1918 Flu Pandemic

    1940 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the most virulent strains of influenza in history ravaged the world and decimated the populations around the world. Present during World War I, the 1918 strain of pandemic influenza found many opportunities to spread through the war. At the time, science wasn’t advanced enough to study the virus, much less find a cure; medical personnel were helpless when it came to fighting the disease, and so the flu went on to infect millions and kill at a rate 25 times higher than the standard.

    Read More

  • Influenza Vaccination Essay

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    Influenza is a major public health problem which has outbreaks all over the world. Resulting in considerable sickness and death rates. Furthermore, it is a highly infectious airborne disease and is caused by the influenza virus. Influenza is transmitted easily from one person to another person, which has a great impact on society. When a member of society becomes sick, it is more prone to spread to other people.

    Read More

  • Influenza Vaccination Should be Mandatory

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    Influenza is very contagious and spreads rapidly from person to person. Influenza causes worldwide yearly epidemics. According to World Health organization Influenza affects 5-15% world’s population and resulting in 500,000 deaths yearly. Ottenberg stated that, in United States, an average of 200,000 were hospitalized and 36,000 died each year from influenza complications. Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death among US adults and is related to 1 in 20 death in persons older than 65 years. Disease control and prevention estimates indicate that infections like H1N1 which is one of the types of influenza, have resulted in an estimated 42 to 86 million cases and 8520 to 17620 deaths. As I mentioned earlier that infections like influenza are very contagious, they can spread easily from hcw to Patient and back to hcw. The most efficient and effective method of preventing influenza infection is vaccination(The best way to prevent influenza is with annual vaccination).(Sullivan,2010) (Gregory,Tosh &Jacobson, 2005). Motivated by a desire to actively avoid illness Influenza may increase the risk for death in people with existing heart, lung, or circulation disorders. In fact, the higher than average number of winter deaths in people with heart disease may be due only to the occurrence of influenza during those months.Vaccination provides immunity to fight against infection.To increase resistance to harm by modifying the environment to minimize preventable illness (NEED TO CHANGE WORDING)

    Read More

  • The Importance of the Influenza Vaccine

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    At no time was a search for the cure for influenza more frantic than after the devastating effects of the pandemic of 1918. The pandemic killed somewhere between twenty and a hundred million people, making it twenty five times more deadly than the ordinary cough and sneeze flu. The symptoms of this flu were like something straight out of a horror movie: the victim’s facial complexion changed to a dark, brownish purple, the feet turned black, and they began to cough up blood. Eventually, death was caused, literally by drowning, when the victim’s lungs filled with their own blood. The first scientist to claim to solve the enigma of influenza was Dr. Friedrich Johann Pfeiffer. He isolated a bacterium he named Hemophilus influenzae from the respiratory tract of those who had the flu in the pandemic of 1890. He was believed to be correct in his discovery until the pandemic of 1918, when scientists searched the respiratory tracts of influenza victims and only sometimes found his bacterium. Robert E. Shope and his mentor Paul Lewis were the next to attempt to crack the code of influenza. They chose to study the disease in pigs, a controversial choice because many people believed that the swine influenza pigs were contracting was not the same as the human flu. The first experiment they ran was ba...

    Read More

  • To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate?

    1456 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e flu are very similar to those of the regular flu. However concern arises, because the possibility of the virus creating greater complications is likely. To prevent one from contracting the swine flu, he or she should get vaccinated. The main difference between the regular flu vaccine and the H1N1 flu vaccine is the components of which these vaccines are composed of. One should make the decision to get the swine flu vaccine based on one’s age and current medical condition. It is highly recommended that children and people to the age of twenty-four years-old receive the swine flu vaccine, because they have weaker immunity levels. It is best to ask a doctor which decision is preferred. The goal of health professionals is to eliminate the H1N1 virus as a global health threat, and to allow it to become a mere virus that can be prevented by proper vaccinations.

    Read More

  • Chain Of Infection Essay

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    Recent research shows that, there are three major means by which infections can be transmitted and they include direct transmission, indirect transmission and airborne transmission (Hinman,Wasserheit and Kamb,1995). Direct transmission occurs when the physical contact between an infected person and s susceptible person takes place (division of public health, 2011). An example is a health care worker who attends to an Ebola patient, without gloves, gown and mask plus forget to wash his or her hand with soap and hot water and or a person having flu without the use of mask or washes his hand after sneezing easily passes the infection to the other through hand shake or surface touch, living the bacteria there for another vulnerable person to also touch if the surface is not disinfected with bleach. Studies makes it clear that, the spreads takes effect when disease-causing microorganisms pass from the infected person to the healthy person through direct physical contact such as touching of blood, body fluids, contact with oral secretion, bites kissing, contact with body lesions and even sexual contact. However, measles and chicken pox are said to be conditions spread by direct

    Read More

More about H1N1

Open Document