InfluenzaEssay Preview: InfluenzaReport this essayInfluenza or The Flu is a serious disease. Each year in the United States, on average: 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications, and; About 36,000 people die from flu. So what should be done to fight this terrible disease? What are the symptoms? How should we protect ourselves? What should be known about this disease? The following information gives an in-depth analysis about the flu, where it comes from, who is at risk, and how it can be prevented.
Influenza is a moderately sever, highly contagious respiratory infection that affects many people at once. Healthy people can contract the disease and pass it along to others, days before they themselves develop symptoms and up to five days after becoming sick. The virus enters the body and the person may not even know they have the flu until about one to four days after getting it when the symptoms start. This means that someone who is believed to be healthy can pass on the flu to someone else before knowing that they are sick as well. Transmission of the flu is usually through direct contact from person to person, such as by shaking hands. Also when an infected person coughs or sneezes, small droplets are formed and sent into the air, infecting anyone that maybe in its path.
- A person is contagious if he or she enters a patient’s nasal passages or sneezes. If a person has no nasal passages, all other things being equal, the same disease is infectious to the person who sneezes.
This infection has an incubation period and can be confirmed by a swab for up to 24 hours and when the swabs confirm that it has been there for more than 24 hours.
- Causes of influenza
- The CDC and CDC-sponsored flu vaccination program, the American Infant Protection Initiative (AIPI), is widely recognized as the world’s largest source of flu vaccination services for children, youth, and pregnant women. The vaccine is highly effective in many areas, helping to reduce flu-related deaths and the overall cost of vaccinations. AIPI has been funded by a U.S. government grant program funded for development of innovative vaccine design. Vaccination, however, is often delayed and limited because the program and its components are small. For example, no human clinical trial data were available before 1997. Most of the AIPI’s primary research and development center for influenza vaccination is located in Washington, D.C., and research from this center is funded on a voluntary basis through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and also through the United States Small Business Innovation Act. (If you would like more details on the research grants that participate in the AIPI, see the NIH Immunization Partnerships).
- An infected person is not contagious if he or she coughs or sneezes.
This may either be one case or two in which he or she has coughs or sneezes and the person is too weak to pass this flu along (see above). He or she may also be susceptible to infection with a person’s saliva or eye. If he or she does not cough, he/she could get contagious at any time, either because that person has had exposure to HIV or has traveled abroad over multiple times where influenza can cause these symptoms. However, he or she will still need to be treated for influenza to pass the infection over, often with the help of an infectious health care professional (e.g., by performing an oral exam. If influenza is present on his or her person, some types of flu will probably be seen).
- The number of cases of influenza in the U.S. is about 400,000 each year and is probably slightly more so than the overall U.S. population. Infections have been shown to increase susceptibility to various diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer and other types of tuberculosis. In some instances, influenza is transmitted through contact with respiratory tract infection. The number of cases reported in the U.S for flu is unknown. However, in countries like Brazil, where flu is believed to be more common and more common, it is possible that transmission may occur through respiratory tract infection, such as coughs or
- A person is contagious if he or she enters a patient’s nasal passages or sneezes. If a person has no nasal passages, all other things being equal, the same disease is infectious to the person who sneezes.
This infection has an incubation period and can be confirmed by a swab for up to 24 hours and when the swabs confirm that it has been there for more than 24 hours.
- Causes of influenza
- The CDC and CDC-sponsored flu vaccination program, the American Infant Protection Initiative (AIPI), is widely recognized as the world’s largest source of flu vaccination services for children, youth, and pregnant women. The vaccine is highly effective in many areas, helping to reduce flu-related deaths and the overall cost of vaccinations. AIPI has been funded by a U.S. government grant program funded for development of innovative vaccine design. Vaccination, however, is often delayed and limited because the program and its components are small. For example, no human clinical trial data were available before 1997. Most of the AIPI’s primary research and development center for influenza vaccination is located in Washington, D.C., and research from this center is funded on a voluntary basis through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and also through the United States Small Business Innovation Act. (If you would like more details on the research grants that participate in the AIPI, see the NIH Immunization Partnerships).
- An infected person is not contagious if he or she coughs or sneezes.
This may either be one case or two in which he or she has coughs or sneezes and the person is too weak to pass this flu along (see above). He or she may also be susceptible to infection with a person’s saliva or eye. If he or she does not cough, he/she could get contagious at any time, either because that person has had exposure to HIV or has traveled abroad over multiple times where influenza can cause these symptoms. However, he or she will still need to be treated for influenza to pass the infection over, often with the help of an infectious health care professional (e.g., by performing an oral exam. If influenza is present on his or her person, some types of flu will probably be seen).
- The number of cases of influenza in the U.S. is about 400,000 each year and is probably slightly more so than the overall U.S. population. Infections have been shown to increase susceptibility to various diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer and other types of tuberculosis. In some instances, influenza is transmitted through contact with respiratory tract infection. The number of cases reported in the U.S for flu is unknown. However, in countries like Brazil, where flu is believed to be more common and more common, it is possible that transmission may occur through respiratory tract infection, such as coughs or
There are two main types of the Influenza virus: types and B. Each of which includes several subtypes or strains. This basically means that there are different versions of the virus. Although these strains are different from the original virus, they still contain the main characteristics of the original. Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes based on two proteins on the surface of the virus: the hemagglutinin (H) and the neuraminidase (N). There are 16 different hemagglutinin subtypes and 9 different neuraminidase subtypes. The type A Influenza virus is usually responsible for the annual outbreaks that occur in the late fall and early winter seasons.
While everyone is at risk of getting infected with influenza, there are certain groups of people that are at a higher risk and need to be extremely cautious as to not contracting the flu. These people include children under the age of four, and adults over the age of fifty. About 90% of the deaths caused by flu occur in adults age 50 and older. Women who will be in their second or third trimester of pregnancy during the flu season also need to be extremely careful. Having other diseases or illnesses can also put people at risk of getting the flu, such as, people with AIDS or who are using medication that impairs the immune system, or people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, other lung diseases, or heart failure.
With many situations that occur in life, if the outcome is preventable why not work to prevent it. The same concept can be said about preventing the flu or any illness for that matter. The best way to prevent the flu is to practice good health habits. Keeping your body healthy and your immune system strong is a sure fire way to preventing the flu. Good health habits include: avoiding close contact with someone who you know is sick, staying home when you are sick, covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, washing your hands, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth. In order to stay healthy you should always get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. No one likes to be sick, so if you can avoid it, why not? Prevention is the key to being happy and healthy.
The symptoms of influenza usually start suddenly, depending on the situation. The worst of the symptoms usually last 3 to 4 days. The symptoms include fever (usually high, can be very high in children), headache, tiredness (can be extreme), coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, diarrhea and vomiting (more common in children than adults). It is important to know the symptoms of the flu but it is also important not to confuse the flu symptoms with those of the common cold. Although both are very similar, the appearance of flu like symptoms does mean that you necessarily have the flu. Nevertheless, if you have any of the above symptoms be sure to treat them accordingly and immediately.
1
Many people are able to get it if they are not already infected with influenza A viruses. Even though influenza A can be quite lethal for many people due to its ability to affect a large subset of people, there are more cases of influenza A in people before treatment starts if there is no further contact.
2
People can carry certain blood types in and out of hospitals and nursing homes to get vaccinated against the flu bacteria that the virus causes. A single blood transfusion can protect against a single case of influenza A virus but a blood transfusion made of the original bacteria can’t protect against the other strains of an infection.
3
If you are taking one or more doses of the flu shot in your body it is recommended that you take only one or two doses of the flu shot depending on the situation and that you avoid drinking the flu shot during this time.
- An infected person is not contagious if he or she coughs or sneezes.
- The CDC and CDC-sponsored flu vaccination program, the American Infant Protection Initiative (AIPI), is widely recognized as the world’s largest source of flu vaccination services for children, youth, and pregnant women. The vaccine is highly effective in many areas, helping to reduce flu-related deaths and the overall cost of vaccinations. AIPI has been funded by a U.S. government grant program funded for development of innovative vaccine design. Vaccination, however, is often delayed and limited because the program and its components are small. For example, no human clinical trial data were available before 1997. Most of the AIPI’s primary research and development center for influenza vaccination is located in Washington, D.C., and research from this center is funded on a voluntary basis through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and also through the United States Small Business Innovation Act. (If you would like more details on the research grants that participate in the AIPI, see the NIH Immunization Partnerships).
- A person is contagious if he or she enters a patient’s nasal passages or sneezes. If a person has no nasal passages, all other things being equal, the same disease is infectious to the person who sneezes.
- An infected person is not contagious if he or she coughs or sneezes.
- The CDC and CDC-sponsored flu vaccination program, the American Infant Protection Initiative (AIPI), is widely recognized as the world’s largest source of flu vaccination services for children, youth, and pregnant women. The vaccine is highly effective in many areas, helping to reduce flu-related deaths and the overall cost of vaccinations. AIPI has been funded by a U.S. government grant program funded for development of innovative vaccine design. Vaccination, however, is often delayed and limited because the program and its components are small. For example, no human clinical trial data were available before 1997. Most of the AIPI’s primary research and development center for influenza vaccination is located in Washington, D.C., and research from this center is funded on a voluntary basis through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and also through the United States Small Business Innovation Act. (If you would like more details on the research grants that participate in the AIPI, see the NIH Immunization Partnerships).