Influenza Infection Study

In two years between 1918 and 1919, A pandemic of influenza swept mercilessly over the planet, killing millions which stood in its path. Miraculously, the exact origin of the pandemic is unclear. What is exceedingly clear, however, is that often the actions of man aided in the spread of the virus, whether due to inadvertent endangerment, close quarters, religious principles, or failure to recognize the true threat that influenza posed.

Ct returned from JPS with documentation stating to be diagnosed with Type B Influenza. Ct was removed form his Bunk - 112/63 per CD and moved upstairs to a single room - 224. Ct was issued new linen, towels, washcloths, water bottles, Clorox wipes, disinfectant, a roll of toilet paper, and was instructed to stay in his room until further instructions. Due to Ct's Flu diagnosis, Ct will have to have his meal(s) delivered to his room by the scheduled FMs.

I think many can testify to being guilty of brushing off symptoms like a stuffy nose, and the feeling of fatigue as the common cold, treatable by over the counter drugs. We tend to ignore these minor signs of what could possibly be a very dangerous and severe viral infection, this respiratory infection being the influenza virus. Flu activity most often appears between the months of February and May, leading many to believe their symptoms might be caused by allergies. Although symptoms are very similar, the flu can cause epidemics with the deadly outcomes, as the common cold is just a nuisance for us.

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).

The influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae are two of the most common pathogens to affect humans; both generally pose no major concern to human life but have the potential to cause catastrophic damage to the lives of susceptible individuals. With many strains of the influenza virus being a constant presence around the world, and S. pneumoniae being a normally harmless commensal bacterium residing in the nasal cavities and upper respiratory tract of healthy individuals , it is likely impossible to quell the spread of either pathogen and so treatments must be found to ensure those with detrimental risk factors are either protected or receive sufficient medical attention in a timely manner in order to prevent irrevocable damage.

Around 5 million people worldwide are affected annually by the influenza A virus (IAV), with infection resulting in severe morbidity and sometimes death. Although effective IAV vaccines exist, annual influenza epidemics occur due to its ability to quickly evolve new strains. Therefore, IAV remains a serious public health threat as evidenced by the recent pandemics involving swine H1N1 and avian H7N9. Thus, there is a vital need to develop more effective vaccines against influenza. Normally, vaccines function by priming the immune system to recognize a pathogen so that the body can more easily identify and eliminate it upon a second encounter. This protective immunity relies on receptors in the innate immune system such as the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I). In contrast, Nod-like receptors (NLRs) sense cellular damage as a result of infection and engage the inflammasome. Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes that stimulate the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Recent work by Pang et al. examined the relevance of host recognition of viral PAMPs versus virus-inflicted damage in linking innate recognition of IAV to adaptive immunity. Mediation of adaptive immunity to IAV is attributed to production of interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and IL-1β, cleavage products of the inflammatory cytokine IL-1. Pang et al. provided evidence that induction of an adaptive CD8+ T cell response did not depend on PRRs

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.

potential pathogens and their particular tissue location. Rapid influenza antigen testing is completed by swabbing the nose, mouth or throat obtaining secretions for staining with fluorescent antibodies to identify the virus. This usually takes 1 to 3 hours for the determination of results whether a bacteria is positive or negative, so that the correct antibiotics can be prescribed. First a thin smear of bacteria on a clean slide that is covered with crystal violet stain for 1 minute. A wash is completed and iodine solution is added to the smear to enhance staining for 1 minute. Being rinsed again in water and then 95% ethanol for one minute. Washing the violet stain off will differentiate between the two types of bacteria. If the bacteria

Influenza A is a highly contagious infection of the respiratory tract that affects all ages. The infection is highest among children and the frequency of serious illness and death is greatest among older adults, over 65 years old. Influenza often is a self-limited disease, subsiding without therapy. It comonly occurs in outbreaks, mainly in the winter months.

Influenza testing is gathered to help diagnose an influenza infection and sometimes to help document and determine the presence of specific types and/or the strains of influenza causing the infections during the flu season. Routinely influenza cases are diagnosed without any form of testing done by the physician, especially during the absence of the flu season and knowledge the flu virus is evident in the community. Testing is also performed to monitor flu viruses that may be circulating in an area, the location of outbreaks, to look for new strains of viruses

Influenza strikes each winter in the United States. In 2014, influenza and pneumonia were listed as one of the top fifteen leading causes of death with more than 55,000 deaths occurring nationally (Kochanek, 2016, p. 43). Ohio Christian University has a goal to decrease the incidence of flu-related illnesses on campus and improve the health of students both on and off campus over the winter months.

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

Influenza is an acute condition that results in high fever, a dry cough and sore throat, body aches, headache, runny nose and malaise upon contracting the influenza virus (1). These symptoms often progress into more severe conditions and in certain populations; infection with influenza can lead to death. The influenza virus is an RNA virus that belongs to the family orthomyxoviridae. There are three types of influenza virus and they are classified as type A, type B and type C (2).

Influenza, commonly called "the flu," is an illness caused by RNA viruses that infect the respiratory tract of many animals, birds, and humans. Influenza viruses are found in body fluids such as saliva and mucous and commonly transmitted via tiny, air-born droplets created through sneezing and coughing. Depending on the conditions and temperature of the environment, the Influenza virus can remain infectious for up to one month. Transmission occurs as a new host comes into contact with viruses dispersed into the air or onto surfaces of objects. The main targets of the influenza virus are the columnar epithelial cells of the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles. HA binds to galactose-bound sialic acid on the surface of host cells. The HA binding

Natalie informed members that clarification has been provided where the Prevnar 13 will be given first then Pneumo23 vaccine. This is forthcoming for the next influenza season by Alberta Health in August 2016.