Influenza: Disease Analysis

Influenza viruses are divided into three classes. These are A, B, and C. Influenza A and B are blamed for the increases in hospitalization and deaths each year. The aim of receiving an annual vaccine is to prevent spreading infections. Since flu outbreaks vary, it is recommended that individuals receive a vaccination for the 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.

Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Influenza is not a deadly virus and does have a vaccination. One of the three types of influenza, type C, “type C infections cause a mild respiratory illness and are not thought to cause epidemics” (Types of Influenza Viruses). The other two types of influenza viruses type“ A and B viruses cause seasonal epidemics” and happen mostly when winter hits (Types of Influenza

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

Paula Sullivan, a seasoned nurse practitioner, discusses how influenza is an infectious disease that takes place “in temperate regions around the world” which results in approximately the death of 500,000 people “annually” worldwide; 226,000 people get hospitalized and 36,000 die from influenza annually in the United States alone (Sullivan). Most of the people who die from the influenza virus are aged 65 years or older and that is usually because other diseases are

There are there types of influenza A and C or the most severe types and B which is the most common, Luckily not the to severe. The virus works by first attaching to the outside of a host cell. It injects its RNA into the cell. Unfortunately our cells treat the RNA like they should. It translates the viral genes using the cell’s ribosomes and enzymes. Now the virus can take the cell over and use it to reproduce more viruses. Sooner or later it releases the new nauseating viruses and they search for another cell to raid.

It is well known that Influenza was one of the most spread and dangerous diseases in the past. Moreover, it was a fatal epidemic especially in America and Spain, and it resulted in the death of millions in the 20th century. Now, Influenza is not considered as a real life-threatening but it is still a serious illness (1). So, what is Influenza? And what are its symptoms? And how many kinds of Influenza are there? Influenza is a viral disease that infects the respiratory system, and it can be a fatal in some cases (2). Moreover, it has several symptoms and three main types (3).

There are two important proteins used in the determination of the type of influenza; haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). There are 18 known variations of the haemagglutinin protein and 11 of the neuraminidase protein, giving hundreds of possible variations in the subtypes of the virus . These subtypes are further divided into different strains that have a divergent molecular makeup, giving rise to viruses that differ in virulence, ease of transmission and severity of symptoms. Not all strains of influenza can cause disease in humans; influenza D subtypes cannot infect humans and influenza C infections are rare and usually very minor. Influenza A and B are the subtypes that are responsible for the common infections and the epidemics and pandemics that occur periodically, with influenza A causing the majority of these infections. The virus is transmitted through the inhalation of droplets which are expelled when an infected person coughs or sneezes, through contact with a contaminated surface and through the exchange of saliva . The infected person becomes infectious to others around 12 hours after first contact with the virus and remains contagious for around the next five days; this can vary as the immunocompromised can take longer to subdue the virus and children tend to be more infectious than adults . The virus incubates in the respiratory tract by invading cells through the cleavage of the viral protein haemagglutinin by human proteases . The pathogenicity of a certain strain is determined by the spread of proteases in the respiratory tract that can cleave the proteins of the virus; a strain is typically milder if the proteases that reside in the lungs and throat are the only ones capable of cleaving the virus, causing an upper respiratory tract (URT)

First of all, influenza transmits primarily from the droplets that come out of people who are infected with the virus when they talk, sneeze, or cough(2). These droplets can spread in the air and cause infection when people get exposed to it(2).

According to History.com, a well-known historical record website, on March 11th 1918, a U.S. Army soldier reported cold-like symptoms consisting of sore throat, fever, and headache. By the noon of that same day, over 100 other soldiers reported the same symptoms. This would grow into the first-known outbreak of influenza in the world, infecting 500 million people worldwide, and killing over 20 million people. Robert Krulwich, a scientific correspondent for NPR, explains the process by which a virus enters your body and manifests into something much worse: The influenza virus first enters your respiratory system by inhalation or other, less-common methods. The virus is then expelled into your bloodstream where it latches onto a cell found there.

Every fall season, more than 1 billion Americans contract colds which lead to the overcrowding emergency rooms, doctor offices and urgent care visits. Most of them present similar symptoms of upper respiratory tract (URT) infections which affects the air passage in the nose, ears and throat. Among them, 5 to 20 percents of these symptoms are contracted by influenza, commonly called “the flu” (11). According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu diseases are episodic and can be acute which has claimed 3000 to 49000 lives from 1976 to 2006 although there have been no findings on a mortality report due to the common cold (11). Although the common cold and flu share a lot of common characteristics, but their complications

The influenza virus thrives because of its unique characteristics that allow it frequently change and undergo evolution. The influenza virus has a segmented genome meaning that each section of RNA is copied separately allowing reassortment to play a major role in the evolution of the influenza virus. When two different strands of the virus attack the same cell, both strands of RNA are copied in the nucleus. These copies then move to the cytoplasm where new viruses are compiled. Each new virus needs all eight of its genomes which can come from a copy of either of the original infecting viruses. The new virus would then have a mixture of RNA from each originating virus causing it to be different from both (Rahnama, L, et al., 2013). Reassortment causes new strains of viruses

Influenza, more commonly known as the flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza viruses and it usually circulates in the United from late fall through early spring (Grohskopf et al., 2016). Influenza is spread through droplets in the air when an individual talks, coughs or sneezes and the best way to prevent the spread of influenza is through vaccination. Finally, the influenza vaccine is given in the early fall months, preferably before the end of October.

Influenza is a life threatening illness caused by influenza virus. It is a contagious disease of the respiratory tract causes serious infections and death around the globe usually in winter season. There are three types of influenza viruses infect humans, type A, B and C. Influenza A and B cause severe disease and major outbreaks and can be prevented through influenza vaccination. Influenza C causes common cold like illness among children. Influenza A is responsible for influenza pandemics. Influenza A and B viruses have two main proteins on the outside of virus, the haemaglutinin (H) and the neuraminidase (N) proteins and are referred as antigens as they are the structures to which our immune system responds. New strains of influenza A and B continually form because the H and N antigens change.