Avian Influenza ( Influenza )

Every year, millions of people start talking about the influenza virus and getting their vaccines as the flu season approaches, which starts around the October-November period and reaches its peak between December and March. Therefore, public health officials around the world- and in the U.S in particular- are constantly challenged by properly preparing for the annual influenza dilemma, given that this viruses, and other respiratory viruses, are a serious health threat to the U.S population and the world as a whole. Furthermore, what makes the influenza virus even more challenging to control is that it can mutate rapidly and reassort to form new strains, having the ability to reside in multiple animal hosts. In fact, many scientists and researchers have been doing in-depth intensive research so as to understand the mechanism behind this unique characteristic of the virus, try to find new ways to control it, and explore different areas of protection and vaccination.

According to the CDC there was a breakout in “1918-19 Flu pandemic, which killed as many as 50 million people worldwide”causing the biggest breakout for Influenza (Reconstruction of 1918 Influenza Pandemic Virus). Influenza originated from Asia and the Middle East. Virtually all mammalian species have influenza. Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the Influenza virus. There are three types of Influenza: type A, type B, and type C. Influenza has numerous symptoms, vaccinations, and is unlikely to kill it’s host.

One can claim that influenza is an infection that has victimized people from just about every generation that we have known. The term Influenza comes from the Latin word "influentia", first used by the Italians in the 1600's. It is a highly contagious infection particulary of the respiratory tract.In addition to us humans, influenza can occur in pigs, horses, and several other mammals as well as in certain wild and birds. It can also jump from specie to specie as observed in late 1997 when influenza from chickens was having its effects on people in Hong Kong. Because influenza is highly contagious and spreads easily, it has appeared in our history many a times as epidemics. Influenza is caused by an

If an infected person were to sneeze or cough the virus is instantly airborne and ready to be breathed in by an unsuspecting individual. Touching an object after an infected individual, touching the infected individual, and coming into contact with bodily fluids from the infected person are other ways that one gets sick. With the many ways to infect individuals this makes the influenza virus a highly contagious virus. It can spread rapidly within a household due to the close proximity to the infected individual with no precaution. An outbreak can also travel swiftly through any community via community activities and visiting community areas. Even with a complete shutdown of air travel, a flu pandemic can still race through the globe in a matter of months. It is impossible to quarantine the infection because affected individuals become contagious a day before the onset of any symptoms show, trying to diagnose the influenza virus with fever, cough, and a few of its other symptoms is not an efficient way to diagnose the illness as suggested by C. van den Dool and associates. There are many cases where individuals who have the illness are not

People are dying every second to a variety of reasons, some that could be prevented others where that is not the case. However, experts agree that influenza and influenza related deaths could be significantly prevented if people took the influenza vaccine annually. The influenza virus is a deadly virus that has been killing people since the 1900s; in 1918 the first recorded epidemic of a strain of influenza known as the Spanish flu killed approximately 50 million people ("Pandemic Flu History"). Because people did not know what the virus was or how to fight against it, it spread very fast. However, after the vaccine was made, later epidemics such as the 1957, 1968, and 2009 epidemics were not as fatal, killing approximately one million people worldwide. Vaccines played a large role in human history in fighting and preventing diseases from annihilating human beings. This paper will discuss the economic aspects of whether it should be mandatory for hospital health care workers to take the flu vaccine.

Influenza, normally called “the flu”, the influenza virus causes an infection in the respiration tract. Even though the influenza virus can sometimes be compared with the common cold. It also can cause a more severe illness or death. During this past century, pandemics took place in 1918, 1957, and 1968, in all of these cases there where unfortunately many deaths. The “Spanish flu” in 1918, killed approximately half a million people in the United States alone. It killed around 20 million worldwide. The “Asian flu” in 1957, in the United States their 70,000 people died. In 1968 the “Hong-Kong flu” There where 34,000 deaths in the United

Wild aquatic fowl, ducks in particular, serve as a reservoir for the Influenza virus to transmit into poultry and then to humans. Infected birds shed flu viruses in their saliva, nasal secretions, and feces (CDC, 2004). The current virus seen in Asia is denoted as H5N1 and was first seen in terns in South Africa in 1961 (CDC, 2004). The first human seen infection of the avian H5N1 viruses was in 1997 in Hong Kong in a three- year old boy (Ruben, 2005). The outbreak involved 18 cases and killed 6, one third of the confirmed infected population (Rueben, 2005). In three days 1.5 million birds were killed in order to prevent further spread. A new pandemic is now on the horizon with recent outbreaks in poultry in the eight Asian countries of Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam since 2004 (CDC, 2005). As of July 5, 2005, there have been 108 reported human cases of the H5N1 virus with 54 deaths (CDC, 2004). In wake of a

Once there was a virus named Birdie. This virus was a Bird Flu, or Avian Influenza, virus of the subtype H5N1, the first strain of Avian Influenza having the ability to infect humans (Normandin and Solan). Birdie looked like a microscopic pomander, a fragrant orange with cloves stuck in it. Inside, she had eight pieces of single stranded ribonucleic acid or ssRNA. Birdie was deadly to humans, but was not able to spread from one human to another. She could only spread from birds to humans ("Bird Flu"). Birdie started out inside a chicken named Cluck, where she was formed. A little while later, Cluck's farmer Mark, sold his Cluck, to Joe, another poultry farmer because Mark did not realize that Cluck had H5N1. After a few months of Cluck living

The influenza virus is transmitted from human to human mainly by droplet, although there are cases of animal to human transmission. The incubation

Influenza is a contagious respiratory infection that is caused by influenza virus. Influenza is commonly called flu. Many people underestimate influenza, and think it is a mild disease. In fact, influenza is a deadly disease if it has not taken care of. For example, from 1918 to 1919 about 20million people died from influenza(1). To better understand influenza, it is important to know how it spreads, how is it prevented, and the strains it has.

The outlook for the bird flu viral infection depends on how intense the infection becomes and on the specifics of each strain.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus first infected 18 humans with 6 fatal cases since 1997 in Hong Kong, China. Later the virus evolved to be higher virulence and across the continents from Asia to Europe and Africa affecting on poultries, wild birds and human . In contrast to human influenza, which normally mild and restricted in respiratory, HPAI H5N1 hematogenously extends beyond the respiratory tract to multiple organs. Many immune cells are permissive to HPAI H5N1, such as neutrophils, monocytes, macrophage and dendritic cells.

Influenza is a virus that is transmitted mainly via airborne process, which is one of the fastest mode of transmission. It is transmitted though airborne due to symptoms such as coughing and sneezing of the host (the infected). The host sneezes and coughs, influenza can easily be transmitted the agent via droplets and small microorganism, therefore entering the uninfected though the respiratory system (mouth and nasal) (WHO, 2016). Another way the virus can lead to pandemic, is due to the fact that the number of human and animals continue to grow and interact. Thus, the pandemic of influenza type A is possible. This mode of transmission is both and; the airborne (respiratory system) and physically (hand contamination). The customarily begins in rural areas (farms) as the virus can be found in hosts such as horses, pigs, chickens and birds. There has been an undetected interchange of the disease among animals and humans in rural environments which then eventually grows to become a global pandemic (Webster, RG & Monto, AS et al 2013, Textbook of influenza). The virus may continue to spread physically due to hand contamination in public; these may include door handles, public transport and other hand held hold objects. The last mode of transmission is genetically, this may then lead to asthma or even death (WHO,

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Swine flu is also known as pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu. This is a viral disease caused by several type swine flu viruses known as Swine influenza virus (SIV) or swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) which is a strain belongs to the influenza family and endemic to pigs. There are several subtypes of Influenza A virus known as H1N1, H1N2, H2N1, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3. CDC has determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it not known how easily the virus spreads between

As already mentioned, the H5.N1 is a subtype of an influenza A type. This type consists of RNA. This RNA names as HA and NA. The HA is glycoproteins found on the surface of the virus. This special protein helps the virus to bind to the host cell. While NA is glycosylated enzyme sits on the surface as well. It helps to release the virus from the host cell. In reality, the least pathogenic virus is H5.N1 or (LPAI H5N1), is commonly happening in wild birds for example, in 1983 it is reported that the virus being carried by the ring-billed gulls in Pennsylvania, ( Bird flu (H5.N1) Genetic in news-medical). The virus itself cannot be pathogenic unless some changes occur, which means new progeny. When the RNA of two viruses enters a combination process in the host cell.