Jump to content

Wikipedia:VideoWiki/Influenza

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
VideoWiki/Influenza (Tutorial)
Link to Commons
Steps for video creation
Step 1Preview my changes (10 sec)
Step 2Upload to Commons (10 min)

Edit with VisualEditor

Definition

[edit]

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus.[1]

Symptoms

[edit]

The most common symptoms include: high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pains, headache, coughing, sneezing, and feeling tired.[1][2]

Timing of symptoms

[edit]

These symptoms typically begin two days after exposure to the virus, and most last less than a week.[1] The cough, however, may last for more than two weeks.[1]

Symptoms in children

[edit]

In children, there may be diarrhea and vomiting, although [3] these symptoms are more commonly caused by the unrelated illness, gastroenteritis (otherwise known as the stomach, or 24 hour flu).[3]

Complications

[edit]

Complications of influenza may include viral pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia, sinus infections, and worsening of previous health problems, such as asthma, or heart failure.[4][2]

Causes

[edit]

Influenza viruses are classified into four types. Types A, B, and C, affect humans.[4][5] Type D does not, but is believed to have the potential for it.[5][6]

Airborne spread

[edit]

Usually, the virus is spread through the air, from coughs or sneezes, [1] over relatively short distances.[7]

Surface spread

[edit]

It can also be spread by touching surfaces contaminated by the virus, and then touching the mouth or eyes.[2][7]

Infectious period

[edit]

A person may be infectious to others both before, and during, the time they are showing symptoms.[2]

Diagnosis

[edit]

The infection may be confirmed by testing the throat, sputum, or nose for the virus[4] with a rapid test, although people may still have the infection even if the results are negative.[4]

Prevention

[edit]

Frequent hand washing, or wearing a surgical mask, reduces the risk of viral spread.[8][8]

Vaccination

[edit]

Yearly vaccinations against influenza are recommended by the World Health Organization, for those at high risk.[1]

Vaccine effectiveness

[edit]

The vaccine is usually effective against three or four types of influenza,[1] is usually well-tolerated, [1] but only effective for a single season, since the virus evolves rapidly.[1]

Antiviral drugs

[edit]

Antiviral drugs such as the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir, have been used to treat influenza,[1] but the benefit to otherwise healthy patients does not appear to be greater than the risks, [9] and no benefit has been found in those with other health problems.[9][10]

Epidemiology

[edit]

Influenza spreads around the world in yearly outbreaks, resulting in three to five million cases of severe illness, and 250 to 500 thousand deaths.[1] About 20% of unvaccinated children, and 10% of unvaccinated adults are infected each year.[11]

Geography

[edit]

In the northern and southern parts of the world, outbreaks occur mainly in the winter, while around the equator, outbreaks may occur at any time of the year.[1]

Highest risk of death

[edit]

Death occurs mostly in the young, the old, and those with other health problems.[1] Larger outbreaks, known as pandemics, are less frequent.[4]

History

[edit]

In the 20th century, three influenza pandemics occurred.

Spanish flu

[edit]

The Spanish influenza in 1918 that resulted in 50 million deaths,

Asian influenza

[edit]

The Asian influenza in 1957 that killed two million,

Hong Kong influenza

[edit]

and Hong Kong influenza in 1968, that resulted in one million deaths.[12]

Swine flu

[edit]

The World Health Organization declared an outbreak of a new type of influenza A, called H1N1, or swine flu, that resulted in a pandemic during 2009, and 2010.[13]

Other animals

[edit]

Influenza may also affect other animals, including pigs, horses, and birds.[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Influenza (Seasonal) Fact sheet N°211". who.int. March 2014. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d "Key Facts about Influenza (Flu) & Flu Vaccine". cdc.gov. 9 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Duben-Engelkirk PG, Engelkirk J (2011). Burton's microbiology for the health sciences (9th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 314. ISBN 978-1-60547-673-5.
  4. ^ a b c d e Longo DL (2012). "Chapter 187: Influenza". Harrison's principles of internal medicine (18th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-174889-6.
  5. ^ a b "Types of Influenza Viruses Seasonal Influenza (Flu)". CDC. 27 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  6. ^ Shuo Su; Xinliang Fu; Gairu Li; Fiona Kerlin; Michael Veit (25 August 2017). "Novel Influenza D virus: Epidemiology, pathology, evolution and biological characteristics". Virulence. 8 (8): 1580–91. doi:10.1080/21505594.2017.1365216. PMC 5810478. PMID 28812422.
  7. ^ a b Brankston G, Gitterman L, Hirji Z, Lemieux C, Gardam M (April 2007). "Transmission of influenza A in human beings". Lancet Infect Dis. 7 (4): 257–65. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(07)70029-4. PMID 17376383.
  8. ^ a b Jefferson T, Del Mar CB, Dooley L, et al. (2011). "Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses" (PDF). Cochrane Database Syst Rev (7): CD006207. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006207.pub4. PMID 21735402.
  9. ^ a b Michiels B, Van Puyenbroeck K, Verhoeven V, Vermeire E, Coenen S (2013). "The value of neuraminidase inhibitors for the prevention and treatment of seasonal influenza: a systematic review of systematic reviews". PLOS ONE. 8 (4): e60348. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...860348M. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0060348. PMC 3614893. PMID 23565231.
  10. ^ Ebell MH, Call M, Shinholser J (April 2013). "Effectiveness of oseltamivir in adults: a meta-analysis of published and unpublished clinical trials". Family Practice. 30 (2): 125–33. doi:10.1093/fampra/cms059. PMID 22997224.
  11. ^ Somes MP, Turner RM, Dwyer LJ, Newall AT (May 2018). "Estimating the annual attack rate of seasonal influenza among unvaccinated individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis". Vaccine. 36 (23): 3199–3207. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.04.063. PMID 29716771.
  12. ^ "Ten things you need to know about pandemic influenza". World Health Organization. 14 October 2005. Archived from the original on 8 October 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
  13. ^ Chan, Margaret (11 June 2009). "World now at the start of 2009 influenza pandemic". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 12 June 2009.
  14. ^ Palmer SR (2011). Oxford textbook of zoonoses : biology, clinical practice, and public health control (2. ed.). Oxford u.a.: Oxford Univ. Press. p. 332. ISBN 978-0-19-857002-8.