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Influenza is a respiratory virus that can cause mild-to-severe illness. The most serious complications are pneumonia, myocarditis, myositis, encephalitis, sepsis, and respiratory and kidney failure. Nurses can use education effectively to prevent people from developing the flu and help reduce morbidity among those who may be exposed to the flu.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2015), the word influenza comes from the Italian "influence of the stars" and was coined in the mid-1500s. One theory of pandemics still can be related to the stars. Because pandemics often have occurred after meteor showers, one theory is these meteors contain water crystals which, in turn, are suspected to be the carrier of the influenza virus (CDC, 2015).
Influenza is a respiratory virus that can cause mild-to-severe illness. Typically, flu season is defined in the United States as OctoberMarch, with peaks in December and February; in some instances, it can last until May (CDC, 2017a). The pediatric population, older adults, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic health conditions are at increased risk for contracting the virus and should be vaccinated each year (CDC, 2018a). Information regarding the morbidity/mortality rates and how influenza is affecting the nation will be discussed.
Recent Influenza Outbreak
During this influenza season (as of January 27, 2018) in the United States, individuals seeking care for flu-like illness represented 7.7% of the population compared to a typical national baseline of 2.2% (CDC, 2018b). This is the highest incidence since the 2009 pandemic (CDC, 2018b). Most persons are infected by the influenza virus H3N2. The H3N2 subtype causes more influenza cases, visits to healthcare providers, hospitalizations, and deaths than other strains (CDC, 2018c).
Determining mortality rates due to influenza is difficult. States are not required to report influenza cases for persons age 18 and older. Furthermore, people may die from flu-related complications such as respiratory failure which may be listed on the death certificate (CDC, 2018a). Pediatric deaths due to influenza are reported. The CDC (2018d) identified 53 influenzaassociated deaths among pediatric patients for the 2017-2018 season.
Differences Among Strains
The age of discovery for influenza was in the 1930s (CDC, 2015). The viruses that cause illness in humans are referred to as Type A, Type B, and Type C....