Case Module 1: Pediatric Flu

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.

This paper will discuss the communicable disease influenza. It will discuss the causes, symptoms, and treatments, as well as the demographics of interest. It will also discuss the determinants of health and how these factors contribute to the development of influenza. Included in this paper will be information on host, agent, and environmental factors. Lastly it will explain the role of the community health nurse in caring for those affected with influenza and the role they play in education and prevention.

At the peak of the 2014-2015 Seasonal Influenza Pandemic in the United States, 9.3% of all deaths reported in the 122 Cities Mortality Reporting System were attributed to Pneumonia and Influenza (P&I), underscoring how lethal the flu can be, especially to people who are already sick, children, and the elderly. In the first week of February 2015, over 60% of influenza-associated hospitalizations involved patients 65 and older, the highest rate since the CDC began tracking that data in 2005. Extrapolating that, more than 92,000 people aged 65 and older had been hospitalized

Influenza, an innocent little virus that annually comes and goes, has always been a part of people’s lives. Knowing this, one would not believe that it has caused not one, not two, but three pandemics and is on its way to causing a fourth! The Spanish flu of 1918, the Asian flu of 1957, and the Hong Kong

Seasonal influenza commonly referred to as the “flu” is an acute viral infection caused by the influenza virus that can have possibly devastating effects on a community (“Influenza (Seasonal),” 2014). Seasonal influenza viruses cause annual epidemics that peak during the winter but can begin as early as late fall and last through early spring (“Prevention and Control of Influenza,” 2008). Influenza infections in the US affect a large amount of the US population. On average in the United States 200,000 people are hospitalized due to influenza infections (“Vaccine-Preventable Adult Diseases,” 2016). In addition, the annual death toll in the United States alone related to influenza and its complications is about 20,000 (Fallon, 2013). Though influenza can affect people at any age, the rates of serious illness and death are among the highest in persons aged sixty-five or older (“Prevention and Control of Influenza,” 2008). The disproportionate effect of the influenza infection on older adults calls for public health interventions.

Despite modern medical and public health standards, influenza remains one of the main principal lethal infectious diseases worldwide [1]. Influenza viruses are responsible for an average of 400,000 deaths per year globally [2, 3]. During previous influenza pandemics (H1N1, 1918; H2N2, 1957; H3N2, 1968; and H1N1, 2009) and seasonal epidemics, many cases of influenza virus-related deaths actually occurred due to bacterial co-infections [4-11]. Since the 1950s, researchers have increasingly focused on concomitant infections with influenza viruses and a range of bacterial agents.

The common cold and Influenza are two common illnesses of the upper respiratory tract. These illness can often be mistaken for each other due to the overlapping symptoms. The two symptoms that seem to present when the flu is occurring are a fever with a cough. Prevention is also similar for both of the illnesses with the exception of an actual vaccine that can be administered annually for flu prevention. Diagnosis can occur in the physicians office according to the individuals symptoms that are presenting or by completing an rapid flu test. Treatments are also similar for both the common cold and the flu because they are both caused by viruses, therefore a patient would not benefit from antibiotic therapy. With educating the

Children can take two of the approved antiviral drugs—oseltamivir and zanamivir. Oseltamivir is recommended by the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for the treatment of influenza in persons aged 2 weeks and older, and for the prevention of influenza in persons aged 3 months and older.

Influenza A (H1N1) is a virus with multiple strains that causes human influenza. The H1N1 are endemic in humans and causes influenza-like illness during the flu season. In 2009, when the influenza virus emerged, it highlighted the importance of having infrastructures to conduct research. This would allow public health officials to manage patients for emerging viruses. Much of the surveillance systems for influenza are laboratory-based or anti-viral resistance monitoring. The lab base focuses on variant virus strains for vaccination. Anti-viral resistance includes clinical data on hospital or outpatients with no follow up. Much of the data from the previous cohort studies on the clinical outcomes and prognostic factors of influenza-infected

The influenza virus, also known as the seasonal flu, is a viral and contagious disease that was once recognized as one of the most devastating illnesses in global history. From 1918 to 1919, an estimated 500 million people worldwide fell sick with this illness and killed nearly 10%. In the United States, 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic, suffering from fever, body aches, nausea, and other impacting symptoms with little opportunity for treatment. First observed in Europe, flu outbreaks swept through parts of Asia and South America, Africa, and North America. At first, scientists like Robert Koch, believed that the cause of influenza was a bacterium called Haemophilus influenzae, but eventually discovered it was viral. Nonetheless, there were no effective treatments that helped kill the viral strain or prevent its spread. At the time, people were ordered to wear masks, and public entities like schools were closed for an extended period of time. Even today, there are very few methods of remedy other than rest, fluids, and staying warm. One drug that was approved by the FDA in 1999 that treated for influenza in adults was oseltamivir, or Tamiflu. However, it wasn’t put to use until 2005 in Southeast Asia when the H5N1 avian influenza epidemic erupted. Currently, Tamiflu continues to be used as the main drug for treating the flu. A downside to this medication, however is that it must be administered 48 hours within experiencing the first symptoms; otherwise it doesn’t

Using a selected location in the United States with a large population exposed to both seasonal and pandemic influenza strains given antiviral medications, examination of the population’s resistance to projected influenza strains

Influenza is a major health problem faced by people all over the world. It is an extremely contagious airborne disease caused by the influenza virus. Furthermore, influenza is also spread by direct contact with an infected individual and has a numerous health impact on society with tremendous cost. Influenza is one of the most serious diseases, resulting in high sickness and death rates. Every year in the US, in the range of 5 to 20 percent of the total population is affected by influenza. As a consequence of this, between 3,000 and 49,000 deaths occur annually (Biggerstaff et al., 2014). The influenza vaccine is the most effective strategy to prevent influenza. This essay will examine two significant reasons for influenza

Thus effective drugs for influenza are still necessary, and neuraminidase inhibitors represent the mainstay of anti-influenza treatment today. Oseltamivir, the most famous neuraminidase inhibitor, has become a drug of public health importance since it was included in influenza pandemic management plans. Many systematic reviews and meta-analyses of oseltamivir efficacy in treatment and

Influenza is a highly contagious disease which can spread across the population by the body secretions which contain the active influenza virus (Collignon & Carnie, 2006). It poses serious threats to the society as it promotes fear, anxiety, and discrimination, and consequently causes destruction to the normal function of the society (Selgelid, 2009). Unless people develop immunity against the influenza virus (Collignon & Carnie, 2006), an influenza pandemic will remain a global emergency as extremely high number of people all over the world will require care at the same time (Kotalik, 2005). Since the global impact of pandemic varies across history, prediction regarding the magnitude of impact will often be overestimated or underestimated

Since the pneumonia is a serious complication of the influenza Grijalva and colleagues (2015) wanted to evaluate the relationship between the influenza vaccine and pneumonia during the flu seasons. They conducted this study during January of 2010 to January 2012 (Grijalva et al., 2015). Eight hospital in four states in the U.S were included