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Epidemiology of Influenza

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Benchmark Assignment: Epidemiology of Influenza
Jaime Mercado
Grand Canyon University
Concepts in Community and Public Health
NRS-427V-O504
Misty Stone
August 14, 2015

Benchmark Assignment: Epidemiology of Influenza At the start of every winter season, hospitals rapidly begin preparation for the “Flu Season,” a time where vaccines are pushed heavily and every running/stuffy nose complete with fever is closely monitored to see if it will result in something more devious that the common cold; something called Influenza. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), defines this affliction as a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses; causing mild to severe illness; where serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death. (2015, para. 1). Now this virus is different than that of the cold; while some symptoms are similar, such as, sore throat, dry or productive cough, runny or stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and malaise, the big differences are fever or feeling feverish/chills, body aches, and the severity and onset of the symptoms. With influenza, symptoms have a rapid onset and can make you feel quite ill for a few days to weeks, while cold symptoms can make you feel bad for a few days. Influenza can also result in serious health problems such as pneumonia and bronchitis and can result in a hospitalization stay, mainly when concerning the very young, elderly or immuno-compromised individual.
So, where did this hurtful virus come from and how is it transmitted from person to person? Influenza viruses are members of the viral family Orthomyxoviridae and have a segmented, single-stranded, and negative-sense RNA genome in an enveloped virion. (Smith, Andrewes, & Laidlaw, 1933, p. 66). While the exact origin of the disease is unknown, the virus was discovered not in humans, but when studying diseases in warm

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