The “Aussie flu”, an Australian influenza virus, has made headlines on media worldwide. It is suggested that the Australian strain has spread to other countries, which has led to criticism of Australia’s Public Health policies. Although, is it possible to identify a strain’s source? If so, how did this “Aussie flu” become so harmful, could it have been prevented? The media is comparing this year’s flu outbreak to the 1968 Hong Kong flu, is it really the next flu pandemic? Influenza viruses are ever evolving and resisting to antibiotic treatment. This is a Global Health issue, particularly making an impact in Australia.
Influenza viruses are subcategorized into Influenza A and Influenza B and within those subgroups there are strains associated
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It is a globally accepted idea that high-income countries are more likely to have better health than those in low-income countries due to their economy and resources. So, why did this year’s influenza virus impact so many people in Australia? The New York Times’s theory being that its Australia’s “carefree attitude toward preventative medicine”. In Australia vaccinations are typically only administered to high-risk populations like young children and elderly people. The government does not have policies that make flu vaccines required, it is merely a recommendation the government does not promote. Advocacy groups against having children vaccinated play a huge role in Australia. The combination of absence in Public Health policies and advocacy against vaccinations are shown to be a large contributor to the outbreak of “Aussie …show more content…
Mortality associated with influenza has historically been a major concern for low-income countries due to lack of sanitation, medical care, and other preventative measures. This year we have seen a wave of increasing influenza associated deaths in higher income countries, like the UK, US, and Australia. These are countries that have the means to preventative care and medical research. Media has a way of influencing the masses on the opinion of vaccination and other preventative care. Government can maintain Public Health through policy. There is an overwhelming amount of research and evidence behind the worldwide phenomena of antibiotic resistance. Medical research has suggested that vaccines are a resource that can begin to combat bacteria and viruses being resistant to western medicine. From the 3 articles of journalism I read, I transparently saw the underlying voices of opinion. Within the topic of Global Health, there are theories, ideologies, and other speculations on how Global Heath should influence a country’s response. In the case of influenza virus, and its increasing popularity in the media, perhaps we will see a worldwide response of action. This could benefit the low-income countries that are impacted by the flu outbreak every year. This same concept could be accepted to the many other infectious
However due to globalization, import and export viruses is more easily transmitted. Over the past century the global community especially Asian has been affected with new strains of the influenza virus. The changes in the virus can occur in two ways “antigenic drift” which are gradual changes in the virus over time. This change produces new strains that the antibody may not recognize. “Antigenic shift” On the other is a sudden change in the influenza virus which ‘’ results in a new influenza A subtype or a virus with a hemagglutinin or a hemagglutinin and neuraminidase combination that has emerged from an animal population,” as seen with H5N1 virus. This change leaves people defenseless against this new virus. (CDC, 2013) Currently there is no vaccine to combat all strains therefore “Planning and preparedness for implementing mitigation strategies during a pandemic requires participation by all levels o...
--------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Essen, G. A., "The Socio-Economic Impact of Influenza". http://www.eswi.org/Bulletin_October_1997.cfm [2] Frayha, Husn. " Influenza Vaccination: A Call for Action" http://www.kfshrc.edu.sa/annals/176/97-248R.html [3] "Influenza". http://www.caw.ca/whatwedo/health&safety/factsheet/hsfssubstanceno37.asp
...influenza pandemic in one way or another; the use of quarantines were extremely prevalent among them. Also, the pandemic is directly responsible for the creation of many health organizations across the globe. The organizations help track and research illnesses across the globe. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for example, strive to prevent epidemics and pandemics. They also provide a governing body with directives to follow in case an outbreak does occur, and if one shall occur the efforts of organizations across the globe will be crucial for its containment. It is amazing that with modern medicine and proper organization that influenza still manages to make its appearance across the globe annually.
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 flu of 1968 each killed millions of people worldwide, causing mass terror. People were mad with fear, and for good reason, as friends, family, neighbors dropped dead like flies. And yet, as soon as the deaths ceased, the forgetfulness set in… until very few know about these pandemics. These pieces of history may have faded from memory, but with the upcoming threat of an avian flu which can jump from human to human, people must learn from the past to combat the future.
Kamradt-Scott, Adam. "The Politics Of Medicine And The Global Governance Of Pandemic Influenza." International Journal Of Health Services: Planning, Administration, Evaluation 43.1 (2013): 105-121. MEDLINE with Full Text. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
The artcile published by The Conversation, explores the very many objectives towards vaccinations and extremely valid arguments from the opposing side. The article has a powerful statement as the title which initially worries and intrigues readers. The title states “Millons of Australian adults are unvaccinatd and it’s increasing disease risk for us all”. The article goes onto explain and identify the very many issues that are arrising and the risks and dangers for all of the Australian community.
The flu, is characterized as an infection of the respiratory tract caused by influenza viruses. Influenza infection is commonly ranked as one of the most dangerous diseases on Earth because it affects all age groups and can re-occur in any individual. Influenza A, B and C viruses belong to the orthomyxovirus, which is the family of enveloped viruses with segmented, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA genome (Calder et al., 2010; Cox & Subbarao, 1999). Type C cause sporadic mild influenza-like illness in children. Type B are known to cause recurring regional and local epidemic disease, but it is only found in human. Type A virus is the most
These poverty-stricken nations are suffering tremendously where countless individuals are exposed to outbreaks of many fatal diseases. Children of developing countries in particular are at extreme risk as one in five children worldwide are not fully protected with even the most basic vaccines. As a result, it is estimated that 1.5 million children die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases. To put things more into perspective, every time twenty seconds passes, a single innocent child’s life is taken away, from diseases that could easily be treated with vaccines. 1.5 million young lives are completely destroyed before they even realise it, this is far beyond their own control where they are entirely stripped away from the chance to live a life of fulfilment and purpose in pursuing their utmost dreams and aspirations, that is the significant loss of 1.5 million sets of happiness and lifetimes of growth and potential. Living in a country where we are readily provided with great medical assistance, should not at all be taken for granted and therefore, should be absolutely mandatory to undertake as treatment. Parents who willingly decide not to vaccinate their child are committing murderous acts and are potentially exposing their own children to the risk of death. All life is extremely sacred and precious, thus the opportunity of vaccinations should not go to waste as it saves millions of
The first outbreak of influenza was in the summer of 1580 in Northern Africa, Italian accounts think that it spread from Malta to Sicily in July 1580 but it was not till 1918 that influenza was discovered. Influenza was discovered by J.S. Koen in Bloomington Illinois. Koen was a veterinarian who was researching a disease in pigs. He believed it was the same disease as the “Spanish Flu”. There has been pandemic reports for at least 500 years but, nobody quite knew what it was till about 90 years ago. In 1931, Rockefeller investigator, Richard Shope, published the first landmark papers on “swine influenza” the disease of pigs that had first been noted during the fall of a wave of the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Every year in America parents are skipping their child’s vaccination in which causes the children to catch disease that have been exterminated in America for decades. This will create an epidemic in this continues. In America we have vaccines to protect us, but also it affects children in going to school because they must have vaccines for the grade they are going into taken in order to be accepted into the public school. “40% of parents said children who aren’t up to date with vaccines should be excluded in schools” (Patti, Neighmond paragraph 4). There is a rise of children not getting vaccine in school. 2.5% of all kindergartener in America missed at least one
Hospital admissions, and serious cases of the flu have dropped with the increase in flu vaccination coverage. Most websites that cover vaccines are pro-immunization or neutral. Many people did not follow the preventative measures recommended by health officials during the 2009-10 influenza pandemic (Covolo, 2013). This may have been one of the reasons the flu had become such a major problem than anticipated. Most people are in support of vaccinations and as Marie McCormick states in her article titled Off The Cuff: Childhood Vaccinations: Good News/Bad News for Harvard Public
Item #6. Finally, the issue of an influenza pandemic must be addressed by agencies and organisations other than health care providers, so the occupational health nurse in the role of the educator will notify and counsel boarder controls, travel agencies, and all international organisations about proper rules and regulations in this situation because entering and leaving Australia during a pandemic should not be allowed without proper vaccination. Although quarantines have proven ineffective against flu pandemics in the past, and a 90% air travel restriction can delay the pandemic by no more than two weeks (GlobalSecurity.org, 2011b), making vaccination obligatory for travellers should not be overlooked because it can both slow down the progress of the disease within the Australian community and prevent spreading it to other communities.
Influenza is one the most common infectious disease and easy to transmitted around the world. In every community, there are people who attend to get the flu and/or have a grave consequence such as pneumonia and infections. Danger would not be in our thinking because we might be healthy but we must be realistic and think of the possibility of transmitting or been getting from someone else and even worst have a fatal virus. “With influenza it’s tough because you need about 80 percent or more of the population getting the vaccine for herd immunity to really work and we’re just not there yet.” (Keyes-Bevan 1)
A recent article explains that the H5N8 virus was discovered among migrant birds in Russia in September 2014 (Hvistendahl). These infected birds exchanged genes with the avian influenza in North America to create the new strand H5N2. Another recent article shows that it was first detected in British Colombia in December of that year (Clement, et al). It first entered the United States shortly after, in Washington State. Scientists believed that the virus was isolated when the original infected bird had passed. Research later showed that other poultry later infected shared an exact identity match with the nucleotide from the first bird (Clement, et al). This uncovers that the knowledge of how the avian influenza spreads is unknown and is left mysterious. Any prior understanding of is not certain. There is continuous transmission between wild birds and of coarse a rapid spread commercially. The virus made its way in a short amount of time from the Pacific Coast to the Midwest, thus showing that it is capable of traveling at a dangerous rate and almost anywhere (Hvistendahl). Scientist are without understanding on the transmission route and how long it will continue in wild birds after the outbreak is finished. Because it is the largest outbreak in centuries, scientists are mystified on the compelling way that it can
Preventing diseases is every countries’ responsibility, whether they are poor or rich. Poor countries lack the knowledge and the money to gain, and expand medical resources. Therefore, many people are not been able to be cured. For wealthy countries, diseases are mutating at incredible speeds. Patients are dying because drug companies do not have enough data to produce vaccines to cure patients. When developed countries help poor countries to cure their people, the developed countries could help underdeveloped countries. Since developed countries can provide greater medical resources to poor countries, people living in the poor countries could be cured. As for the developed countries, they can collect samples from the patients so that the drug companies can produce new vaccines for new diseases. When trying to cure diseases, developed countries and poor countries would have mu...