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American Family Physician Dec 2019Influenza is an acute viral respiratory infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Three types of influenza cause disease in humans. Influenza...
Influenza is an acute viral respiratory infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Three types of influenza cause disease in humans. Influenza A is the type most responsible for causing pandemics because of its high susceptibility to antigenic variation. Influenza is highly contagious, and the hallmark of infection is abrupt onset of fever, cough, chills or sweats, myalgias, and malaise. For most patients in the outpatient setting, the diagnosis is made clinically, and laboratory confirmation is not necessary. Laboratory testing may be useful in hospitalized patients with suspected influenza and in patients for whom a confirmed diagnosis will change treatment decisions. Rapid molecular assays are the preferred diagnostic tests because they can be done at the point of care, are highly accurate, and have fast results. Treatment with one of four approved anti-influenza drugs may be considered if the patient presents within 48 hours of symptom onset. The benefit of treatment is greatest when antiviral therapy is started within 24 hours of symptom onset. These drugs decrease the duration of illness by about 24 hours in otherwise healthy patients and may decrease the risk of serious complications. No anti-influenza drug has been proven superior. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all people six months and older who do not have contraindications.
Topics: Antiviral Agents; Humans; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human
PubMed: 31845781
DOI: No ID Found -
Indian Journal of Pediatrics Oct 2020Influenza continues to baffle humans by its constantly changing nature. The twenty-first century has witnessed considerable advances in the understanding of the... (Review)
Review
Influenza continues to baffle humans by its constantly changing nature. The twenty-first century has witnessed considerable advances in the understanding of the influenza viral pathogenesis, its synergy with bacterial infections and diagnostic methods. However, challenges continue: to find a less expensive and more reliable point-of-care test for use in developing countries, to produce more efficacious antiviral drugs, to explore ways to combat emerging antiviral resistance and to develop vaccines that can either be produced in a shorter production time or can overcome the need for annual matching with the circulating influenza strains. Most importantly for India, as a nation that suffered the highest mortality in the influenza pandemic 1918, there is an urgent need to gear up our existing preparedness for the next pandemic which is capable to hit at any moment in time.
Topics: Drug Resistance, Viral; Humans; India; Influenza, Human
PubMed: 32048225
DOI: 10.1007/s12098-020-03214-1 -
Annals of the New York Academy of... Sep 2014Influenza is an acute respiratory disease in mammals and domestic poultry that emerges from zoonotic reservoirs in aquatic birds and bats. Although influenza viruses are... (Review)
Review
Influenza is an acute respiratory disease in mammals and domestic poultry that emerges from zoonotic reservoirs in aquatic birds and bats. Although influenza viruses are among the most intensively studied pathogens, existing control options require further improvement. Influenza vaccines must be regularly updated because of continuous antigenic drift and sporadic antigenic shifts in the viral surface glycoproteins. Currently, influenza therapeutics are limited to neuraminidase inhibitors; novel drugs and vaccine approaches are therefore urgently needed. Advances in vaccinology and structural analysis have revealed common antigenic epitopes on hemagglutinins across all influenza viruses and suggest that a universal influenza vaccine is possible. In addition, various immunomodulatory agents and signaling pathway inhibitors are undergoing preclinical development. Continuing challenges in influenza include the emergence of pandemic H1N1 influenza in 2009, human infections with avian H7N9 influenza in 2013, and sporadic human cases of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 influenza. Here, we review the challenges facing influenza scientists and veterinary and human public health officials; we also discuss the exciting possibility of achieving the ultimate goal of controlling influenza's ability to change its antigenicity.
Topics: Adjuvants, Immunologic; Animals; Antigens, Viral; Humans; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Swine
PubMed: 24891213
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12462 -
Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in... Jan 2021Influenza poses a significant disease burden on children worldwide, with high rates of hospitalization and substantial morbidity and mortality. Although the clinical... (Review)
Review
Influenza poses a significant disease burden on children worldwide, with high rates of hospitalization and substantial morbidity and mortality. Although the clinical presentation of influenza in children has similarities to that seen in adults, there are unique aspects to how children present with infection that are important to recognize. In addition, children play a significant role in viral transmission within communities. Growing evidence supports the idea that early influenza infection can uniquely establish lasting immunologic memory, making an understanding of how viral immunity develops in this population critical to better protect children from infection and to facilitate efforts to develop a more universally protective influenza vaccine.
Topics: Child; Humans; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Morbidity; Vaccination
PubMed: 31871228
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a038430 -
Seminars in Respiratory and Critical... Aug 2016Seasonal and pandemic influenza are the two faces of respiratory infections caused by influenza viruses in humans. As seasonal influenza occurs on an annual basis, the... (Review)
Review
Seasonal and pandemic influenza are the two faces of respiratory infections caused by influenza viruses in humans. As seasonal influenza occurs on an annual basis, the circulating virus strains are closely monitored and a yearly updated vaccination is provided, especially to identified risk populations. Nonetheless, influenza virus infection may result in pneumonia and acute respiratory failure, frequently complicated by bacterial coinfection. Pandemics are, in contrary, unexpected rare events related to the emergence of a reassorted human-pathogenic influenza A virus (IAV) strains that often causes increased morbidity and spreads extremely rapidly in the immunologically naive human population, with huge clinical and economic impact. Accordingly, particular efforts are made to advance our knowledge on the disease biology and pathology and recent studies have brought new insights into IAV adaptation mechanisms to the human host, as well as into the key players in disease pathogenesis on the host side. Current antiviral strategies are only efficient at the early stages of the disease and are challenged by the genomic instability of the virus, highlighting the need for novel antiviral therapies targeting the pulmonary host response to improve viral clearance, reduce the risk of bacterial coinfection, and prevent or attenuate acute lung injury. This review article summarizes our current knowledge on the molecular basis of influenza infection and disease progression, the key players in pathogenesis driving severe disease and progression to lung failure, as well as available and envisioned prevention and treatment strategies against influenza virus infection.
Topics: Antiviral Agents; Disease Progression; Humans; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Alphainfluenzavirus; Pandemics
PubMed: 27486731
DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1584801 -
Mayo Clinic Proceedings Jan 2010Within 2 months of its discovery last spring, a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, currently referred to as 2009 H1N1, caused the first influenza pandemic in decades. The... (Review)
Review
Within 2 months of its discovery last spring, a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, currently referred to as 2009 H1N1, caused the first influenza pandemic in decades. The virus has caused disproportionate disease among young people with early reports of virulence similar to that of seasonal influenza. This clinical review provides an update encompassing the virology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of the 2009 H1N1 virus. Because information about this virus, its prevention, and treatment are rapidly evolving, readers are advised to seek additional information. We performed a literature search of PubMed using the following keywords: H1N1, influenza, vaccine, pregnancy, children, treatment, epidemiology, and review. Studies were selected for inclusion in this review on the basis of their relevance. Recent studies and articles were preferred.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antiviral Agents; Child; Female; Humans; Infant; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Pregnancy
PubMed: 20007905
DOI: 10.4065/mcp.2009.0588 -
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) Dec 2016
Review
Topics: Antiviral Agents; Epidemics; Hospitalization; Humans; Infection Control; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Pandemics; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 27927672
DOI: 10.1136/bmj.i6258 -
Clinical Infectious Diseases : An... Mar 2019
Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America: 2018 Update on Diagnosis, Treatment, Chemoprophylaxis, and Institutional Outbreak Management of Seasonal Influenzaa.
Topics: Chemoprevention; Disease Management; Disease Outbreaks; Humans; Influenza, Human; Seasons
PubMed: 30834445
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciy874 -
Acta Bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis Mar 2021Influenza is a disease that affects a large part of the world's population annually, with major health, social and economic impacts. Active immunisation practices have... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK
Influenza is a disease that affects a large part of the world's population annually, with major health, social and economic impacts. Active immunisation practices have always been recommended to counter influenza, especially for people at risk. The recommendations of major health agencies strongly advise influenza vaccination for all healthcare workers, mostly for those in contact with at-risk or immunocompromised individuals. Yet, the influenza vaccination coverage among healthcare workers remains rather low worldwide. This review explore barriers and the facilitators of health care professional toward influenza's vaccination.
METHODS
Narrative review consulting the databases: PubMed, CINAHL by combining keywords health care worker, flu, influenza, vaccination, barrier, resistence, hesitangy, between November 2019 and February 2020 Results. From the 1031 records initially, twenty-two primary studies were included in this narrative review. Our results show that the identified facilitators are: desire for self-protection, protection for loved ones and community. Instead, the barriers to vaccination identified are: fear of contracting influenza from the vaccination itself; not considering themselves at risk; to believing believe that their immune system is capable of managing a trivial disease; disease considered trivial, laziness; false beliefs.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Adherence rate on influenza vaccination among health professionals is quite low. The interventions that make it "complex and traceable" flu vaccination refusal increase adherence to this type of vaccination. The results show that current vaccination campaigns do not increase the rate of adherence by healthcare workers. Identifying the predisposing factors and barriers to such vaccination can help to create, develop and test targeted educational programmes.
Topics: Attitude of Health Personnel; Causality; Health Personnel; Humans; Immunization Programs; Influenza, Human; Vaccination
PubMed: 33855983
DOI: 10.23750/abm.v92iS2.11106 -
Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Nov 2013The 2009 pandemic served as a strong reminder that influenza-induced disease can have a great impact on certain at-risk populations and that pregnant women are one such... (Review)
Review
The 2009 pandemic served as a strong reminder that influenza-induced disease can have a great impact on certain at-risk populations and that pregnant women are one such important population. The increased risk of fatal and severe disease in these women was appreciated more than 500 years ago, and during the last century, pregnant women and their newborns have continued to be greatly affected by both seasonal and pandemic influenza. In this review, we briefly discuss the data collected both before and after the 2009 pandemic as it relates to the impact of influenza on pregnant women and their fetuses/newborns, as well as risk variables, clinical features, clues to pathophysiologic mechanisms, and approaches to treatment and prevention.
Topics: Female; Humans; Influenza, Human; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; Risk Factors
PubMed: 23170853
DOI: 10.1111/irv.12055