Influenza Is An Acute Viral Infection

To get the flu vaccine or not to get the flu vaccine? This is a huge controversial question millions of Americans today ask themselves every year. There are many myths that come along with the topic of the flu vaccine that lead to people questioning the effectiveness of the medication. Safety for our families and loved ones is what we aim to achieve, but what are the pros and cons of this vaccine? What are the consequences and what are myths, but most importantly: what are the reasons we should get it in the first place? In this paper you will learn the many reasons for the flu vaccination and how it affects different populations beginning with children all the way to the elderly population. First of all, what is the flu

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.

The immune system weakens with age, which makes seniors more susceptible to contracting seasonal influenza. Over ninety percent of deaths from the flu happen to those over 65 years of age. Seniors have the option of getting the regular flu vaccine or a higher-dose shot that results in a stronger immune response.

Each year 6-20% of U.S. residents are infected by influenza and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized due to complications (Klepser, Corn, Schmidt, Dering-Anderson, & Klepser, 2015). Influenza has a huge impact on not only the health of our nation, but economically, as well. Studies show that the single most effective way to prevent the spread of influenza is to vaccinate. The CDC recommends that all children over 6 months old to be vaccinated against influenza yearly (CDC, n.d.). Seldom have there been medical advancements that have impacted the health of billions of people. One such important medical advancement is the invention of vaccines. At the end of the 20th century, the CDC published its list of

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 is responsible for hospitalizations and deaths in the United States. Prevention through vaccination is one way to circumvent illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths. Those persons who were more susceptible fall into the categories of 6 months to 4 years of age and 65 years and older. According to CDC (2013), the 2012-13 influenza season was characterized as a moderately severe season based on the surveillance data. Regardless of suggestions and encouragements of schools and places of employment for individuals to be vaccinated against the flu, fewer than half the persons in the United States each year are inoculated against this disease. Influenza vaccines are now widely used to reduce the burden of annual epidemics of influenza virus infections (Cowling, et al., 2016).

Influenza is a serious illness that causes on average 51,000 deaths annually in the United States (US) 1 and contributes to an annual economic burden of US $12–14 billion due to work absenteeism and direct medical cost. 2 Decades of research suggest that social determinants, such as income, education, occupation, social class, gender, race/ethnicity, may in fact be the root causes of many health outcomes. The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as “conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, age, and the wider set of forces and systems” –including both economic and social policies and systems- that shape our daily lives and environment. 3 Although much of the research on social determinants of health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2013) national healthcare disparities report for 2010, influenza and pneumonia are ranked within the top ten major causes of death in the United States. The influenza viruses that will be discussed throughout this case study include the human influenza viruses: A and B. These viruses are responsible for seasonal epidemics during the fall and winter around the globe in temperate environments. Historically influenza outbreaks have had a seasonal distribution and characteristic time course although according to the CDC (2017) factors influencing the extent and severity of an outbreak are less clear. Generally, there are two or three different influenza strains typically circulating concurrently in any given

The viral disease spread during the winter season of the year and poses a lot of threat on the entire community due to high rate of the clinical risk group in the United States. At risk group are clinically considered to be 65years and above, children 5years and below, people with medical conditions (asthma, endocrine disorder, blood disorder, heart diseases etc), healthcare providers, and people with weakened immune system (HIV, Hepatitis) etc. outbreak of this disease could result to economic burden such as cost of healthcare and lost productivity as encountered in the 200-2003 flu season. In the United States, an estimated US$ 71-167 billion is spent by the government on flu prevention and treatment on an annual basis.

Seasonal Influenza is identified as extremely deadly; the conditions that may arise from being infected with the virus can lead to many complications with some resulting in death for many high risk patients (Hooper, Breathnach & Iqbal, 2014). According to Hooper et al. (2014), high risk group of individuals who should avoid contracting the virus include: children below 6 months, immunocompromised individuals or pregnant women, the elderly and all healthcare workers who may have exposures (Hooper, 2014).

One study (FLU 002) enrolled patients with influenza-like illness as outpatients who were seeking assessment. The second study (FLU 003) enrolled patients hospitalized having complications relative to influenza. Both studies were planned to cover a wide range of clinical mild to severe symptoms. Most were 18 years and older and followed-up periodically. The report included outcomes for patients with other influenza virus infection. It should be noted that both studies included the demographics, height, weight, vital signs, medical history, current health conditions and influenza vaccines.

Influenza A and B viruses are responsible for causing influenza. It is an acute respiratory illness that occurs every year mainly during fall and winter (from late November through March).1 Therefore, CDC recommends to vaccinate everyone 6 months and older with influenza vaccine every year. Children aged 6 months – 4 years, adults 50 years and over, health care professionals, immunosuppressed personnel, American Indians/ Alaska natives, extremely obese patients (BMI ≥ 40) and pregnant women should be prioritized to receive influenza vaccines in case of limited vaccine supply.2 Among adults, people over 65 years have more chances of complications, hospitalizations and death from influenza vaccine as most of them have some chronic diseases which

Influenza has been around for thousands of years. It’s a disease that is responsible for the greatest viral outbreak in modern history. The amount of death each year associates with influenza is still among the thousands in fully developed countries. Influenza is a difficult disease to battle due to its high rate of mutation combined with its ability to bounce around different species. There are three type of influenza that are of most concerned when it comes to human’s pathology: Type A, Type B, and Type C. Each of these type contains a numerous amount of individual strain. Some strains can be easily fought off and others can be deadly even to those with the strongest immunity. The most widely use option at preventing another outbreak

Influenza, more commonly known as the flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza viruses and it usually circulates in the United States from late fall through early spring (Grohskopf et al., 2016). Influenza causes serious illness, hospitalizations and even death, especially for older adults. People age 65 years and older are at higher risk for serious flu-related complications since our immune systems become weaker as we age. It's estimated that between 54 percent and 70 percent of seasonal flu-related hospitalizations and 71 percent and 85 percent of seasonal flu-related deaths occurred among people 65 years and older and seasonal flu-related hospitalizations("What you should," 2016) .

Background & Audience Relevance: Influenza is an infection that can affect anyone around the world. Am quite sure almost everyone, if not all of us, have been infected with influenza at some point in our lives.