Epidemiology Paper

1569 Words Jan 28th, 2014 7 Pages
Epidemiology Paper

Epidemiology Paper Influenza or simply flu is one of the most devastating communicable diseases. This is because it is transmitted through the air we breathe. This simply means that being in the company of a mammal or bird that is infected is more than good enough reason for one to get infected (Naff, 2011). Influenza is caused by an influenza virus which can be of one of three types. Type A and B results to a high degree of infections. These two types are responsible for severe respiratory infections and in some cases death. Influenza virus type C on the other hand does not lead to severe respiratory infection and only causes minimal respiratory infections with
…show more content…
A host can infect others after only 24 hrs of acquiring the virus and up to one week after developing the symptoms. After entering into the body of the host the virus takes a minimum of two days before showing any symptoms implying that an infected individual can transmit the virus even without first developing any symptoms. The influenza virus has a number of complications especially to the high risk individuals. These high risk individuals include pregnant women, infants and individuals above 60 years of age. In most cases the infections from this form of virus only affect the respiratory system. In some instances the virus can spread to other parts of the body thereby causing some compilations. These complications include heart problems such as heart attacks, the damage of the crucial parts of the brain and pneumonia. Though the above are the most serious and most common complications, there are other complication that rarely occurs such as the infection of the ear which is common among children and the difficulties in containing diseases such as diabetes and asthma. Since influenza is a viral disease there exist no direct medications. Therefore infected individuals are advised to take up a lot of liquids, spend a large amount of their time resting and avoid the drinking of alcohol. They are also advised to take up medicines that can help relieve the effects of the symptoms such as muscle pains. Influenza affected deaths

Related Documents