Influenza Vaccine Essay

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.

The Flu vaccine is a medicine developed by, epidemiologists, microbiologists, physicians and other public health experts to protect the society from three to four influenza viruses that will occur and cause disease for the following season and the data is acquired through research or forecast. The Center for Disease Control

But before this was done, the data table in the lab notebook was checked to see if any of the common strains have the same name as the strains in the vaccine. If they are the same, there is no need to compare their sequences since they should be identical. The sequences of one of the common virus strains to the same type of virus that was included in the vaccine that season were compared. The sequences for the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins were analyzed, while last step the influenza strains were compared. The sequences for these strains were obtained from the NCBI GenBank website.

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

When we hear the word virus, we usually think of something that makes us sick. A virus is an ultramicroscopic infectious organism that, having no independent metabolic activity, can replicate only within a cell of another host organism. A virus consists of a core of nucleic acid, either RNA or DNA, surrounded by a coating of antigenic protein and sometimes a lipid layer surrounds it as well. The viral genome provides the genetic code for replication, and the host cell provides the necessary energy and raw materials. To fight viruses, we use vaccines. While some may infect a broad range, other viruses can only infect certain kinds of cells. Vaccines are made of inactive, dead or weakened virus cells or protein antigens that can no longer infect

Influenza, commonly called "the flu," is an illness caused by RNA viruses that infect the respiratory tract of many animals, birds, and humans. Influenza viruses are found in body fluids such as saliva and mucous and commonly transmitted via tiny, air-born droplets created through sneezing and coughing. Depending on the conditions and temperature of the environment, the Influenza virus can remain infectious for up to one month. Transmission occurs as a new host comes into contact with viruses dispersed into the air or onto surfaces of objects. The main targets of the influenza virus are the columnar epithelial cells of the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles. HA binds to galactose-bound sialic acid on the surface of host cells. The HA binding

Every year, many people get influenza all over the world and sometime this disease causes death. Medical care has been improved, but it is difficult to prevent influenza. People get it easily. According to Mortada, during the ful season of 2012 to 2013, the disease has caused 111 deaths (Mortada, 16). We have to prevent ourselves from the disease as much as we can. Otherwise, it would be infect to other people 　including family, friends, classmates, coworkers, and more. To prevent influenza, we must have strong immune system and get vaccinations that are suited for each person.

Influenza is one of the major causes for illness around the globe and vaccination is the best way for controlling it The best way for reducing the impact of influenza infection and resulting morbidity and mortality in the human population lies in immunization against influenza (Palese & Garcia.,2002) ] . Two types of vaccines are currently licensed for prevention of yearly epidemic influenza: trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV) and live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) .There are The annual vaccination (either with the intramuscular inactivated Influenza vaccine (IIV)or the intranasal live attenuated vaccine (LAIV)) continues to be the keystone of prophylactic treatment for infection associated with Influenza in humans (Pica N.

Influenza remains as a significant global threat to public health. In United States alone, a typical influenza epidemic results in over 25 million infections, 300,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths every year (1). The virus evolves antigenically from one year to the next, requiring annual reformulation of the vaccine and leading to variable vaccine efficacy. Exacerbating this natural antigenic evolution, adaptation to the chicken eggs may occur during the manufacture of virus used to produce the inactivated vaccine (2). This year such adaptation has reduced the vaccine efficacy against H3N2 strain (3). Low vaccine efficacy is expected to generate higher attack rates, as has already occured in Australia (3, 4). Compounding the effects of low vaccine efficacy, public perception following the widespread media attention may depress vaccine uptake for a given year. The combination of low vaccine efficacy and low coverage has the potential to reduce herd immunity, putting the population at risk of elevated infection incidence and ultimately high rates of infections and mortality. Consequently, optimizing epidemiological effectiveness of vaccination given vaccine efficacy is imperative to minimize the annual mortality and morbidity of influenza.

In addition to this, women were only allowed to have a limited education. This was to limit their ability to gain ownership of any power. The lack of scientific knowledge shapes the lives of the characters in the story. They are the prey of superstition and the victims of people who claim power by being able to perform magic. This applies to both Rhoda and Gertrude; neither are described as educated and therefore look beyond science for answers to their problems.

Influenza pandemics are caused by type A virus. Influenza A viruses have two specific antigens Hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) on their surfaces. Various influenza strains are identified by the combination of their HA and NA antigens. HA protein antigens allow

Influenza virus has caused serious respiratory illness and death over the past centuries. Epidemics and pandemics due to Influenza virus were known to cause morbidity and mortality in humans and other animals. Pandemics have been documented since the 16th century (WHO, 2005) and in the last 400 years, at least 31 pandemics have been recorded (Lazzari and Stohr, 2004). Influenza virus belongs to the family Orthomyxoviridae, which is characterized by a segmented, minus-stranded RNA genome. Influenza viruses are irregular, spherical (80-120 nm diameter) or filamentous structures and their surfaces are studded with rod-shaped hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) spikes (Betts, 1995). Influenza viruses are of three types A, B, and C. The typing

It takes about eight months for the vaccines to be developed using chicken eggs. If another pandemic were to arise, we would not have access to the vaccines for at least eight months. Moreover, once the vaccines are made, they must be used. Vaccines that are not used cannot be stored and must be destroyed because the vaccines break down. The vaccines do include the three influenza viruses; two against different strains of type A, and one against the type B virus. (Tenpenny, 2008, Davidson, 2007-2009, Offit, 2008).

1st 2015 to Feb. 28th 2016, 641 samples were collected, 166 of them were positive for influenza (25.9%), lower than national data (45.02%, p<0.0001). Vaccination compliance among study population was higher than national data (70% vs. 21% respectively). The dominant influenza strain we isolated was A (mostly A / H1N1), in full compliance with the present vaccine (68.67%). In contrast, the national isolated dominant strain was type B Victoria, while the vaccine was aimed against B Yamagata (56.37%, p <0.0001). Adults, dependent patients and those living in a rural environment showed higher compliance to vaccination.

According to Healthy People 2020 a goal of theirs is to “increase immunization rates and reduce preventable infections.” The influenza virus is one of these preventable infections, which can cause serious harm to patients. The influenza virus is known as the “flu.” Everyone in his or her life has had some experience with the flu, whether that is himself or herself or a family member. What if there was a way to ensure people from contracting a strain of the influenza virus? Well, thanks to technology and medical research there is.