Influenza is caused by an RNA virus from the Orthomyxoviridae family (that consists of the genera

Influenza is an infectious illness that can be spread from one individual to the next. It can be transmitted by means of saliva, nasal secretions, feces and blood. It can also be spread by coming in contact with the virus on contaminated surfaces. Influenza is responsible for an average of 36,000 deaths and for more than 226,000 hospitalizations each year in the United States. (Davidson, 2007-2009, Davis, 2007).

Influenza is very contagious and spreads rapidly from person to person. Influenza causes worldwide yearly epidemics. According to World Health organization Influenza affects 5-15% world’s population and resulting in 500,000 deaths yearly. Ottenberg stated that, in United States, an average of 200,000 were hospitalized and 36,000 died each year from influenza complications. Influenza is the sixth leading cause of death among US adults and is related to 1 in 20 death in persons older than 65 years. Disease control and prevention estimates indicate that infections like H1N1 which is one of the types of influenza, have resulted in an estimated 42 to 86 million cases and 8520 to 17620 deaths. As I mentioned earlier that infections like

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.

The last few days of summer are upon us, the leaves are beginning to change and it is once again fall in East Tennessee. While many are beginning to enjoy a relaxing break before the stresses of winter and the holidays, healthcare providers are bracing for the rush. The rush I speak of is that of doctor’s offices which are over run with those complaining of fevers, aches, and chills. Influenza season begins as early as August and can run as long as in to late March. Those affected by the virus can range from infants to the elderly, but most complications occur in those over 65, including death. According to the World Health Organization, the number of elderly persons is expected to increase from 600 million currently to over 2 billion worldwide by 2050. (WHO, 2015) Due to the rapid increase of this age group in the upcoming years, the need to prevent and establish treatment for illnesses that have the potential to be fatal in this population is a top priority. Greater risks of mortality in those over 65 who contract influenza can be attributed to several factors including: the elderly’s decline in immunity response, the inability of the elderly’s body to fully recover from infection, and finally, the long term complications of influenza among those who are already compromised.

The mode of transmission is droplet because influenza is transmitted by saliva and sneezing. The Influenza disease is primarily spread on to the person by the air. The virus particles are sent into the air when a person with Influenza sneezes or coughs and spread in the middle of the air. The location of the Influenza disease is anywhere in the world. Also, the Influenza disease is mostly found in New Jersey during late November through early April. The peak season of Influenza occurrence is during January and February. But, Influenza is a worldwide disease that can occur the anyone in this entire world. So Influenza can even happen to you caused by the fact that Influenza is a worldwide disease and it can happen, anyone, no matter what age. The Influenza disease is Pandemic which means it is a disease that widespread over a whole country or even the entire world. So anyone in the entire will be able to have the Pandemic disease of Influenza which is widely spread around the whole entire world, it won’t matter where you are there is a chance that you could be one of the Influenza victims. This outbreak disease affects everyone in the world. Influenza and flu are the same diseases because the flu is caused by the Influenza virus. However, there are other viruses that can cause an illness that is similar to the flu. It is difficult to say exactly which virus is causing the illness so doctors diagnosed a flu-like

For one, people who are vaccinated can protect the other people who cannot be vaccinated for certain reasons or problems. “Annual influenza vaccination for healthcare workers has the potential to benefit healthcare professionals, their patients, and their families

There are only three types of influenza that infect humans, they are Type A Type B and Type C. The virus is most commonly spread through droplet transmission (through the air) but can also be contracted by touching a contaminated surface then touching your mouth or eyes. An infected person can spread the virus to others while they are sick.

The efficacy of the flu vaccine has long been noted: "there is overwhelming evidence for the clinical efficacy of the influenza vaccine, especially in the elderly with chronic disease, reducing mortality and hospital admissions. There is also evidence to suggest that the influenza vaccine may be beneficial in the healthy elderly" (Morgan & King 1996: 339). Thus, there is a need to increase compliance amongst the elderly in getting a flu shot on an annual

Each year in the United States, 3000–49,000 influenza associated deaths occur, with over 90% reported among older adults aged 65 years or older. Influenza also results in an estimated 226,000 hospitalizations, with hospitalization rates among older adults increasing over the past 2 decades (Nace et al., 2015). Influenza is a highly transmissible viral illness that may lead to severe complications from underlying diseases, primary viral or secondary bacterial pneumonia and death (NCBI, 2015). Immunization is one of the most powerful and cost effective interventions against

New pandemics in humans are usually caused when new subtypes of HA genes are introduced typically from aquatic birds. When a new type of HA gene is introduced, there are no vaccines that have prepared the body to fight off this type of virus causing it to be dangerous. Since these new genes usually come from aquatic birds, many scientists believe that the influenza virus originated in there (Suzuki, Y. & Nei, M., 2001). It is also believed that subtypes of the influenza virus may have diverged from another virus 2,000 years ago and diverged from B and C thousands of years before that (Suzuki, Y. & Nei, M., 2001).

Influenza A is the worst of the three kinds. According to source 1, flu type A can infect animals, though it is more common among humans. Wild birds are common hosts. Influenza A2 is spread by people who are already infected. It can be spread by sneezing and coughing. Influenza A is the type of flu you get a shot for. It can cause epidemics and pandemics. This is important because we need to know why doctors

There are three major factors involved in the start of a pandemic; the viral strain must be new, able to cause serious illness, and transmit efficiently between humans. This article explores the avian influenza virus?s potential to cause another global pandemic through its ease of transmission and ability to evade treatment. Avian type A influenza virus generally spreads either through an intermediate vector during the process of antigenic shift or directly to humans when it jumps the species barrier. A certain strain of the virus, H5N1 was of particular concern as it was the first strain to move directly from birds to humans. The avian influenza virus poses

Avian Influenza is an infectious disease that is transmitted mostly by infected birds. This influenza has three types: A,B,C. The most fatal one is the type A. The virus first appearance was in migratory shore bird in Africa in 1960. Avian Flu was first discovered in humans in Hong Kong in 1997. By that time the virus was not known as a Bird Flu, so there were feared that the virus would sweep the community and kill many because another subtype of influenza swept around the world in 1918 (Davidson, 2011)

Restate Thesis: Influenza is a common virus that is present in almost every part of the world. Studies show that influenza causes people to be prevalent to other diseases, especially respiratory diseases. According to an article on The Lancet, August 14th, 2009 by Jamieson, the virus caused the widespread outbreak of respiratory infection

With a huge number of victims, 80 to 100 million, since 1918, the influenza is considered as one of the most pandemic diseases ever. There are three types of influenza virus: influenza virus A, influenza virus B, and influenza virus c. These are a subtypes of the virus family orthomyx-oviride. The types B and C do not cause pandemic diseases while type A does. The type A classified into three main subtype H1.N1, H1.N2, and H3.N2. The (H.N) refers to the two kinds of proteins on the surface of the virus (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase). The difference in numbers is due to the difference in protein variability. A H1.N1 virus which is widely known as Spanish flu is the only type that can transmit from human to human. The H5.N1, or “bird flu”