Influenza or "flu" is a rather contagious viral infection that infects the respiratory tract. Fever, cough, muscle aches, fatigue, rhinorrhea, and sore throat are the symptoms commonly associated with influenza virus. Individuals infected with influenza normally experience mild illness and recover within two weeks. However, specific groups, such as the elderly, young children, and individuals with co-morbidities, appear more susceptible to severe illness as well as mortality due to influenza related complications. H1N1, a causative agent of influenza was identified in spring of 2009. Communication of H1N1 and seasonal influenza occur through droplets created when individuals with the illness cough, sneeze, or talk. Indications of H1N1 include the symptoms associated with seasonal influenza but with the addition of diarrhea. Several key differences exist between H1N1 and seasonal influenza. Transmission of H1N1 transpires outside of the defined influenza season, which is October through May. Though the elderly are more vulnerable to seasonal influenza, young adults are more likely to be affected by H1N1. Hence, a shift in age groups affected by influenza and influenza like illness (ILI) is a critical indicator of the agent responsible for the alteration (Laine, Williams, & Trexler, 2009).
The 2009 H1N1 pandemic affected more than 150 countries, with an alarming 182,166 laboratory confirmed infections and approximately 1,800 deaths. As a result of this pandemic, vaccination costs and benefits were examined. It was determined that earlier vaccination is the basis for prevention of influenza associated mortality during the fall. Furthermore, increases in earlier vaccination practices was proven quite cost effective. Influenza vaccin...
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...., & Trexler, M. (2009). Influenza. Annals of Internal Medicine, ITC5-2-ITC5-16.
Monto, A., Ohmit, S., Petrie, J., Johnson, E., Truscon, R., Teich, E., . . . Victor, J. (2009). Comparative Efficacy of Inactivated and Live Attenuated Inflenza Vaccines. New England Journal of Medicine, 1260-1267.
Rubin, G., Amlot, R., Page, L., & Wessely, S. (2009). Public Perceptions, Anxiety, and Behviour Change in Relation to the Swine Flu Outbreak: Cross Sectional Telephone Survey. BMJ, 1-8.
Services, D. o. (2014, February 13). Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza Hospitalizations. Retrieved from FluView National Flu Activity Map: http://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/fluview/FluHospChars.html
Zaman, K., Roy, E., Arifeen, S., Wilson, E., Omer, S., Shahid, N., . . . Steinhoff, M. (2008). Effectivess of Maternal Influenza Immunization in Mothers and Infants. New England Journal of Medicine, 1555-1564.
Nancy K. Bristow, American Pandemic, The Lost Worlds of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 156
CDC (2007, 02) Community strategy for pandemic influenza mitigation in the United States Retrieved from http://www.flu.gov/planning-preparedness/community/community_mitigation.pdf
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
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"Pandemic Flu History." Home. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Web. 23 Mar.
Loo, Yueh-Ming and Michael Gale, Jr. “Influenza: Fatal Immunity and the 1918 Virus.” Nature 445 (2007): 267-268. 23 July. 2008 .
Kent, Susan Kingsley. The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.
Influenza is a major public health problem which 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. In the United States, every year between 5 to 20 percent of the population is affected by influenza. As a result of this, between 3,000 and 49,000 deaths have occurred per year (Biggerstaff et al., 2014). Therefore, the influenza vaccine is the most effective strategy to prevent influenza. This essay will examine two significant reasons for influenza vaccination which are the loss of workforce and economic burden as well as one effect regarding herd immunity.
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)
After careful observation by medical specialists around the country, it is established that the present form of influenza is no different from any other form of influenza in English history. Influenza in the epidemic form has visited England previously in 1709, 1732 as well as in 1890.1
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...
“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:
Currently, one cannot explore the news without coming across the topic of the swine flu, scientifically known as H1N1. Swine flu is a respiratory infection derived from the influenza virus. The virus contains genetic materials from human, swine, and avian flu viruses. It was first identified in spring 2009, and since then has spread rapidly across the globe. The infection’s spread has been verified as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. As soon as the swine flu virus was isolated, scientists quickly developed a swine flu vaccine. Four vaccines have been approved by the FDA for the prevention of the swine flu. The vaccines will be ready for distribution in October 2009. Now the question is: To vaccinate, or not to vaccinate? Millions of people are now preparing to answer this question.
The Influenza of 1918. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1989. Print Use: I will use this as an extra source to supplement The Great Influenza and get more detailed information about Philadelphia, as well as Sans Francisco if I feel it would be useful. Secondary Furman, Bess. A Profile of the United States Public Health Service 1798-1948.
The Flu was first founded in Seattle September, 1918. The avian flu can also be known as the “Bird Flu”. The bird flu is being passed around by migratory birds. It can be transmitted from birds to mammals and in some limited circumstances to humans. The flu will also be known as the H5N1 virus. The H5N1 virus has raised concerns about a potential human pandemic because its virulent (deadly; extremely dangerous) and it can evolve like other influenza viruses. As many other viruses and illnesses the flu can be a lot more deadlier. When you get the flu the lungs are severely harmed from infected cells called macrophages and T-cells. The virus can spread way beyond the lungs but generally do not. Many people catch the flu and think they have the common cold because of some of the same symptoms. But actually the flu can be more dangerous if you don’t treat it immediately.