Influenza 

WebQuest

Nicole Sanchez

Use various resources to find the answers to the questions below.

1. Influenza is a disease of the respiratory system lasting one or two weeks. Name five of the seven
most common types of symptoms of the disease. One type of symptoms is most common in
children; identify it in your answer. – Typical influenza disease is characterized by sudden onset
of fever, aching muscles, sore throat, and non- productive cough. Additional symptoms may
include the following: runny nose, headache, a burning sensation in the chest, and eye pain and
sensitivity to light. Typical influenza disease does not occur in every infected person; furthermore,
someone who has been previously exposed to similar virus strains (through natural infection or
vaccination) is less likely to develop serious clinical illness. Not everyone with influenza illness
has a fever, especially older adults. Some people may also have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
these symptoms are more often seen in children.
2. Describe the two major ways in which influenza is spread. – Influenza is transmitted through the
air from the respiratory tract of an infected person when they talk, cough, or sneeze. It can also be
transmitted by touching a surface that has respiratory droplets with influenza viruses and then
touching the nose, mouth, or possibly eyes.
3. What are the usual treatments for influenza? – There are four influenza antiviral drugs
recommended for use in selected patients. These drugs include the following: Oseltamivir
(Tamiflu) and inhaled zanamivir (Relenza), used for treatment or prevention, and Oral baloxavir
(Xofluza) and intravenous peramivir (Rapivab), recommended only for treatment. All four provide
protection against both A and B viruses. Two other antiviral medications, amantadine and
rimantadine which have activity only against influenza A viruses, are not recommended for use
because of high levels of resistance among circulating influenza A viruses; moreover, use of
antiviral medications can reduce the severity and length of influenza illness.
4. Flu shots are changed each year to include protection from newly mutated versions of the
influenza virus. How does vaccination rate when compared with other methods to avoid getting
the seasonal flu? – The flu vaccine can reduce the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60%
among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well matched
to the flu vaccine viruses. Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor’s visits
each year. For example, during 2019-2020, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7.5 million
influenza illnesses, 3.7 million influenza-associated medical visits, 105,000 influenza-associated
hospitalizations, and 6,300 influenza-associated deaths.
5. The most common complication of influenza is pneumonia. What are the types of symptoms of an
influenza attack that indicate that an immediate visit to a doctor or to the Emergency Room is
necessary? There are ten of these types of symptoms. Name eight of them.
a. Coughing up blood.
b. Croup, which causes a loud barking cough.
c. Wheezing.
d. Trouble breathing, shortness of breath, or rapid breathing.
e. Pain or pressure in the chest.
f. Confusion.
g. Bluish-colored lips or nails.
h. High fever.
6. What is the seasonal flu and for an average year how many people catch it and how many does it
kill, in the world and in the U.S.? – Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by
influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result
in hospitalization or death. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with
certain health conditions, are at high risk of serious flu complications. There are two main types
of influenza (flu) virus: Types A and B. The influenza A and B viruses that routinely spread in
people (human influenza viruses) are responsible for seasonal flu epidemics each year. Seasonal
influenza kills up to 650,000 people every year. That is why influenza vaccinations are so
important, especially to protect young children, older people, pregnant women, or people who
have vulnerable immune systems.
7. What are the sources of the new strains of the influenza virus that appear each year? – New
influenza strains of influenza virus arise continually as a result of two mechanisms that alter the
genetic code in the viral RNA. These mechanisms are referred to as genetic drift and genetic shift.
Genetic Shifts result from reassortment of genetic material between vastly different strains of
influenza viruses.
8. There are two major criteria used to evaluate the danger posed to mankind by an influenza virus.
What are they? – The IRAT assesses potential pandemic risk based on two different scenarios:
“emergence” and “public health impact.” “Emergence” refers to the risk of a novel influenza virus
acquiring the ability to spread easily and efficiently in people. “Public health impact” refers to the
potential severity of human disease caused by the virus, as well as the burden on society, such as if
a novel influenza virus were to begin spreading efficiently and sustainably among people.
9. What is a pandemic and how often have influenza pandemics appeared during the last century? –
A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease. Since 1500, there appear to have been 14 or
more influenza pandemics; in the past 133 years of the “microbial era” (1876 to the present) there
were undoubted pandemics in 1889, 1918, 1957, 1968, 1977, and 2009. In addition, Flu spreads
around the world in seasonal epidemics. Ten pandemics were recorded before the Spanish flu of
1918. Three influenza pandemics occurred during the 20th century and killed tens of millions of
people, with each of these pandemics being caused by the appearance of a new strain of the virus
in humans.
10. The Spanish Flu of 1918/1919 was the worst pandemic of the last 100 years infecting some 500
million people, at that time more than one-third of the world population. How many peopled died
world-wide from the Spanish flu and what was the death rate among those infected? – The 1918
Spanish Flu was the most severe pandemic in recent history. It was caused by an H1N1 virus with
genes of avian origin. It is estimated that about 500 million people or one-third of the world’s
population became infected with this virus. The number of deaths was estimated to be at least 50
million worldwide with about 675,000 occurring in the United States. Mortality was high in
people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years and older. The high mortality in
healthy people, including those in the 20–40-year age group, was a unique feature of this
pandemic
11. What is the bird flu, also called Avian flu? What is its mortality rate and why hasn't it become a
pandemic? In your answer cover both lethality and infectiousness. – Avian influenza - the "bird
flu" - is a virus that infects birds, particularly wild birds such as ducks and geese, but can spread to
domestic poultry, such as chickens and turkeys. There are numerous different strains of avian
influenza; however, most do not cause illness in people. H5N1 is a strain of avian influenza and is
a concern among the scientific and medical community with regard to its potential to cause a
pandemic. The H5N1 strain can infect birds, other animals and people. H5N1 infection in humans
can cause severe disease and has a high mortality rate; however, the Avian flu id not easily
transmissible from person to person while retaining its capacity to cause severe disease.
Furthermore, H5N1 has not yet caused a pandemic is that two genetic mutations would need to
 happen to the virus at the same time in order to enable it to infect the right cells and become
transmissible.
12. There is now a vaccine for H5N1, why are doctors still worried that it could become the next
pandemic? – Current annual influenza vaccines include influenza viruses to protect against A
subtypes H1N1 and H3N2 and B viruses. A vaccine made from these viruses would not provide
protection against a different influenza A subtype virus (such as H5N1). It is important to continue
to get vaccinated every year as this is the best way to prevent illness from the seasonal influenza
virus.