An estimated 36,000 people in the United States die each year of influenza-related illness, therefore, increasing influenza vaccination rates among high-risk groups is a public health priority. Noel T., B., & Hallman, W. K. (2006). In the case study, Influenza Vaccine Shortage, a young college student is faced with a dilemma, when she fears she may not receive a greatly needed influenza vaccine. Alison, a 19-year-old who suffers with moderately severe asthma, desperately requires an influenza vaccine in order to greatly reduce her risk of contracting the virus. In the past, Alison has been hospitalized as the result of an infectious cold and significant merciless asthma attacks. Consequently, contracting the influenza virus presently will deteriorate
The Influenza virus is a unique respiratory viral disease that can have serious economic and social disruption to society. The virus is airborne transmitted through droplets release by coughing or sneezing from an infected person or by touching infected surfaces. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may even result in death. People with the virus usually experience fever, headache, shivering, muscle pain and cough, which can lead to more severe respiratory illness such as pneumonia. People most susceptible to the flu virus are elderly individuals and young children as well as anyone whose health or immune system has been compromise. The most effective way to counteract the influenza virus is to get the flu vaccine which is available by shots or nasal spray before the flu season as well as practicing safe hygiene. (CDC, 2013)
--------------------------------------------------------------------- [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
While influenza, or the "flu", is not commonly recognized as an extremely lethal disease, the pathology of influenza, and especially of the kind found at Fort Dix, does suggest that an immunization program was a reasonable course to take in 1976. In the public's mind, influenza is often not seen as a specific disease, using interchangeable names for it like "flu", "gripe", and "virus". (Silverstein: 1) However, influenza is very different from an everyday low fever or "stomach flu". It is a respiratory infection, connected with a fever, coughing, and muscle aches, which often la...
Previous influenza epidemics had a mortality rate less than 0.1%, but this virus had a mortality rate of 2.5%. The virus was extremely devastating and killed many people, but there were some good things that came out of it. Influenza caused the United States Public Health Service (PHS) to expand and develop. The PHS has provided financial assistance to hospitals; developed sanitation programs; conducted surveillance of infectious diseases; and delivered high-quality healthcare to those that needed it. After the years of the disease, the American public health policy improved a lot, and the virus taught America important lessons which proved essential to the maintenance of a healthy population.
These pieces of history may have faded from memory, but with the upcoming threat of an avian flu that can jump from human to human, people must learn from the past to combat the future. From the time of its first recorded incident in 412 BC (Adams 1) to 1918, influenza was never taken seriously. With symptoms similar to the common cold, most people disregarded influenza as a minor illness, nothing more. As Lynette Iezzoni quoted in her book, Influenza 1918, influenza was thought to be “quite a Godsend! Everybody ill, nobody dying” besides the very old and feeble (16).
Influenza is a major public health problem which outbreaks all over the world. Resulting in considerable sickness and death rates. Furthermore, it is a highly infectious airborne disease and is caused by the influenza virus. Influenza is transmitted easily from one person to another person which has a great impact on society. When a member of society becomes sick, it is more prone to spread to other people. In the United States, every year between 5 to 20 percent of the population is affected by influenza. As a result of this, between 3,000 and 49,000 deaths have occurred per year (Biggerstaff et al., 2014). Therefore, the influenza vaccine is the most effective strategy to prevent influenza. This essay will examine two significant reasons for influenza vaccination which are the loss of workforce and economic burden as well as one effect regarding herd immunity.
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 influenza are very contagious, they can spread easily from hcw to Patient and back to hcw. The most efficient and effective method of preventing influenza infection is vaccination(The best way to prevent influenza is with annual vaccination).(Sullivan,2010) (Gregory,Tosh &Jacobson, 2005). Motivated by a desire to actively avoid illness Influenza may increase the risk for death in people with existing heart, lung, or circulation disorders. In fact, the higher than average number of winter deaths in people with heart disease may be due only to the occurrence of influenza during those months.Vaccination provides immunity to fight against infection.To increase resistance to harm by modifying the environment to minimize preventable illness (NEED TO CHANGE WORDING)
Ng, Sophia, et al. "The Effect Of Age And Recent Influenza Vaccination History On The Immunogenicity And Efficacy Of 2009-10 Seasonal Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccination In Children." Plos One 8.3 (2013): e59077. MEDLINE. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
Vaccines have been around for hundreds of years starting in 1796 when Edward Jenner created the first smallpox vaccine. Jenner, an English country doctor noticed cowpox, which were blisters forming on the female cow utters. Jenner then took fluid from the cow blister and scratched it into an eight-year-old boy. A single blister came up were the boy had been scratched but it quickly recovered. After this experiment, Jenner injected the boy with smallpox matter. No disease arose, the vaccine was a success. Doctors all around Europe soon began to proceed in Jenner’s method. Seven different vaccines came from the single experimental smallpox vaccine. Now the questions were on the horizon. Should everyone be getting vaccinations? Where’s the safety limit? How can they be improved? These questions needed answers, and with a couple hundred years later with all the technology, we would have them(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).
Illnesses have long haunted the human race. As long as these illnesses have existed, humans have developed ways to cure themselves, beginning with simple herbs and proceeding as far as vaccines and complex medicines. One cure that long eluded scientists was that of the influenza virus. Now, the influenza vaccine, or flu shot, saves thousands of lives a year and helps prevent serious complications resulting from influenza infection.
According to CDC, no one knows exactly how many people die from the flu infection each year. There are four main reasons for this. First of all, states are not required to report influenza related deaths that are older than the age of 18. Second, se...
Vaccines save us from being infected with viruses. They save approximately 2.5 million people from death every year. However, while they help save lives, vaccines still have both minor and severe side effects. This can result in nausea, severe sickness, and in rare cases, death. Every year, 3,000 to 4,500 people in the United States are hospitalized due to vaccine side effects. It is extremely important for all communities to be informed about the side effects of vaccines and what causes them. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the influenza vaccine is only 48% effective, due to constant mutation of the virus (Scutti, 2017). This means, the influenza vaccine does not work on all
The theory behind vaccines was developed in Europe in the 1800’s, after an English doctor, Edward Jenner used a small dose of the cowpox virus to protect against it in 1796. The principal of immunisation is that the introduction of a small amount of a virus or germ via injection empowers the body’s immune system to recognise and eradicate the foreign material if it is to ever appear again. It is especially important for babies and children to be immunised as their immune system is not fully developed and they are very susceptible to many illnesses. Vaccinations have significantly lowered the occurrence of diseases such as whooping cough and tetanus. However; in recent years there has been a movement growing against vaccination, whether it is
This article reviews the epidemiology of the ongoing Rubeola Virus, a highly contagious and serious viral infection that is one of the leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality, even though a cost-effective and safe vaccine is available (World Health Organization, 2017). There is an ongoing debate in Australia, of whether children should be vaccinated against this virus. Many parents fear the harm the vaccination will do to their children and some even doubt the professional integrity and authority the medical experts have. This paper seeks to focus on the “vaccination concerns of families with children/adolescents and proved a clear insight into vaccination debate” (Health article assessment, 2017). It is hoped that this study will inform many parents about the risks, epidemiology, and vaccination control of the Rubeola virus.
Each year the winter seasons brings with it cold, snow, holidays, and to a lucky few a break from work or school. To many, however, winter brings the dreaded Influenza virus, a virus which, if left to it’s own devices, can bring death, especially to the young, the old, and the infirm. This year winter also brought with it a shortage of the Influenza vaccine, which was due to a contamination of one manufacturer’s supply. (Flaherty A02) The resulting decrease in supply caused a dramatic increase in the price demanded by suppliers (and the price paid by consumers). (Flaherty A02)