Influenza+tanner

=Influenza =

__ Description of Virus: __

 * Influenza is an RNA virus that infects birds and mammals, including humans.
 * Influenza comes in three strains: influenzavirus A,B, and C.
 * Typically spherical in shape and 80-120 nanometres in diameter.
 * Virus is enveloped containing two main types of glycoproteins wrapped around a central core.
 * RNA is within central core and is usually double-stranded.
 * Influenza A and B most severe and common while C is usually not as harmful and shows little to no symptoms.
 * Influenza A is transmitted mostly through wild aquatic birds.
 * Most virulent pathogen among humans.
 * Examples include Spanish flu, Swine flu, Bird flu, and Asian flu.
 * Influenza B is not as dangerous and infects mostly humans, seals, and ferrets.
 * Mutates slower than Influenza A which increases immunity.

__ Viral Specificity: __

 * Influenza infects the nose, throat, and bronchial tubes.
 * Parts become enflamed,sore, and irritable.
 * Influenza //only// infects birds, mammals, and humans. [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/H1N1_versus_H5N1_pathology.png width="445" height="323" caption="File:H1N1 versus H5N1 pathology.png" link="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/H1N1_versus_H5N1_pathology.png"]]- Areas of the body affected by Influenza.

__ Symptoms and progression of the disease: __

 * Visible symptoms occur one to two days after infection.
 * Common symptoms include: the chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headaches, coughing, weakness and fatique.
 * Symptoms usually reach their peak severity around three to four days.

__ Common Methods of Transmission: __

 * Many modes of transmission.
 * Transmitted throught the air by coughs or sneezes.
 * Bird droppings, nasal secretions or contact with contaminated surfaces.
 * Spreads in seasonal epidemics.
 * Has led to many epidemics and pandemics such as the Spanish flu.
 * The time at which a person becomes infectious is one day before first symptoms.
 * People become most infective between the second and third days.
 * As a person's fever increases, so does the likelihood of infecting others.

__ Treatment and Prevention: __

 * Immunizations are given yearly in developed countries.
 * Influenza is highly adaptable and constantly evolving and replacing older strains.
 * Immunizations do not provide permanent immunity.
 * Most common type of vaccine is a trivalent vaccine that contains purified and inactivated antigens.
 * Immunization must occur within one week to four months prior to exposure.
 * Cases are most serious in the elderly, young children and those with weak immune systems.
 * Previous exposure does not guarantee immunity.
 * Common ways to combat virus include: bed rest, drinking fluids, tylenol or ibuprofen, and antiviral antibiotics.
 * Virus can be inactivated through sunlight, disinfectants, and detergents.
 * Frequent handwashing reduces the risk of infection.

__ Miscellaneous: __

 * Results in 250,00 - 500,000 deaths yearly.
 * On average, 41,400 people died yearly in the United States between 1979-2001.
 * Distantly related to the human parainfluenza viruses
 * 50 to 100 million people, or 3% of the world's population at the time, were killed as a result of Spanish flu with another 500 million, or 23% of the world population infected.
 * More people died because of Spanish flu than World War 1.
 * Although somewhat of a cliche, washing your hands is an //EXTREMELY// effective way of preventing the disease.

__ Resources accessed: __

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