Tentative Table of Contents
Deadly Diseases and Epidemics
Influenza
- History of the Disease - Deadly World Traveler
- Causes of the Disease
- Signs and Symptoms of the Season
- Constant Change and Dispersal Mechanisms
- Diagnostic Techniques
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Immunity, Complications and Implications
Expanded Versions of Tentative Chapters Appended
Chapter I History
- The Early Years
- Where did it come from?
- The spread from Europe to North America
- Potential political impact on U.S.
- Colonial Expansion
- The War Years
- Death by the millions
- Post War Discoveries
- New Threats - 1957, 1968
- What Does the Future Hold?
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Chapter II Causes
- What Is a Virus?
- Quick History
- Current Understanding - Intracellular Genetic Parasite
- Characteristics
- Genetic Information
- DNA - single or double-stranded (s or d)
- RNA - single or double-stranded (s or d)
- Protective covering - mainly protein - called "capsid"
- Some have additional covering known as "envelope"
- Total collective structure called a "virion"
- How Do Flu Viruses Replicate?
- Attachment to host cell
- Receptor -binding protein of virus
- Binds to specific receptors on certain cells' surfaces
- Internalization - taken inside host cell
- Receptor mediated endocytosis
- Take over genetic information of host
- host produces capsid proteins and copies genetic info
- host produces necessary enzymes and assembles new viruses
- Viruses leave cells either by budding or destruction of cell
- Other viruses have minor variations on these basic themes
- Viral Group for Influenza - Orthomyxoviruses
- Type A - isolated from patient in 1933
- Type B - 1940
- Type C - 1949
- Structure of Flu Virion
- +/- 500 protein spikes sticking out of envelope - apparently aid in getting into and out of cell and attachment
- =/- 80% are hemagglutinin (HA) - causes RBC's to clump together - serves as flu receptor binding protein
- +/- 20% neuraminidase (NA) - serves as enzyme that influences release of newly formed virions
- together they are responsible for viral pathogenicity and virulence (ability to cause disease and degree of severity)
- To date 14 different version (antigenic subtypes) of HA (H1-H14) and 9 different versions of NA (N1-N9) have been identified
- Changes in the combinations of these 2 proteins lead to different pathogenic strains of the viruses each year
- All subtypes are found in waterfowl; some are found in humans (H1N1, H2N2, H3N3, H1N2, H1N3, etc.), swine and horses
- Type B does not show such subtypes
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Chapter III "Tis the Season" - The Signs and Symptoms
- North-South Hemispheric Differences
- How Influenza Develops
- The Clinical Course
- How do you know it's the flu and not a cold
- Comparison chart showing symptoms
- Common Symptoms
- 1-4 days after exposure
- some symptoms caused by body's response to virus
- some symptoms disappear and are replaced with others
- occasional complications
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Chapter IV Constantly Changing - The Greek God Proteus
- Types of Influenza
- Occurrence
- Structural Differences - Different Effects
- Changes Over Time
- Antigenic Drift - slow change due to progressive accumulation of individual mutations
- Antigenic Shift - more rapid shift in type
- Gene Swapping or Reassortment in Type A - cell infected with two different strains of type A
- Chart of Past Pandemics and Associated Types
- New Evidence to show that the Pandemic of 1918 was due to a Recombinant Strain rather than a reassorted one
- The Role of Ducks and Pigs in new strains of flu
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Chapter V Diagnosis
- Generally done by symptoms alone when there is an epidemic in the community
- Problem - lots of diseases (viral and nonviral) have flu-like symptoms
- Lab Tests - vary in length of time required to provide results
- Rapid tests in office - less than 30 minutes
- longer tests take days to weeks
- reliability and sensitivity vary considerably
- Detection Methods
- Viral structure - electron microscopy
- viral antigen - immunofluorescence
- effect of virus - cytopathic effect on cells
- viral nucleic acid - PCR
- anti-viral antibodies - ELISA test
- A Word about Antiviral Immunity
- Role of Interferon
- Other immune system components involved
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Chapter VI Treatment "I've got the flu. What shall I do?"
- Be Sure it's really influenza
- Stomach flu or Gastroenteritis
- Colds or Strep throat
- What To Do
- Surprise - Stay Home and get Bed Rest
- Lots of Liquids
- Over the counter medication to relieve symptoms
- Avoidance
- Crowds - Schools, Malls, Churches
- Wash hands frequently
- Use tissues for sneezes and coughs
- Treatment Regimes
- Prescription Medication for Prevention or to Moderate the Course of the Disease
- Inhaled Treatment - Relenza (zanamivir) - reduces severity - cuts by 1-2 days
- Tablet - Tamiflu (oseltamivir) - adults and children over 13 usually
- Synmetrel, Lysovir (amantidine) - works on A only
- Flumadine (rimantadine) - both c & d can be used by adults and children over age 1 but there are side effects
- Call Doctor if consciousness becomes altered or clouded or if you become breathless
- For all other common symptoms use home care remedies
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Chapter VII Prevention
- Avoidance
- Medications
- Vaccination - Guidelines
- Who should get the shot - High Risk or Target groups
- any 6 months 7 older
- all 50 +
- persons with certain chronic medical conditions
- health care workers
- household members of high risk persons
- certain travelers
- students or those in close living quarters
- pregnant in 2nd or 3rd trimester
- Why a new vaccine every year
- How are vaccines made
- Sources- Types of Vaccines
- Live Virus Vaccines
- Cold-Adapted Live Virus Vaccines
- Vaccines from Avian/Human Strains of Flu Virus
- Nasal flu Vaccines
- Role of WHO
- Sentinel Surveillance for Influenza
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Chapter VIII Complications
- Bacterial and other viral complications - Symptoms of complications may appear after a brief improvement
- Kids
- otitis media
- croup
- convulsions due to fever
- Others
- bronchitis
- pneumonia
- may have high fever, shaking chills, chest pain while breathing, cough with thick yellow-green mucous
- Reye's syndrome in children & adolescents on asprin treatment (fewer than 3/100,000)
- Side Effects of Drugs
- difficulty sleeping, trembling, depression, G-I upset
- Asthma may get worse with one drug
- Reactions to Vaccine
- site reaction - swollen, red, tender
- children may have fever after 24 hours, chills or headache or sick feeling
- allergic reaction to egg protein - viruses are grown in hens eggs
- Existing respiratory problems may get worse temporarily
- Guillain-Barre Syndrome (rare paralytic disorder)
- Antiviral Immunity
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