FLU

Flu is a respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus that infects the nose, throat, and lungs. Flu can affect people differently based on their immune system, age, and health. Every year in the U.S., otherwise healthy children are hospitalized or die from flu complications. Children younger than 6 months are more likely to end up in the hospital from flu, but are too young to get a flu vaccine. The best way to protect babies against flu is for the mother to get a flu vaccine during pregnancy and for all caregivers and close contacts of the infant to be vaccinated.

WHO IS AT RISK?

• People who are 65 years and older
• People of any age with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease,
• Pregnant people, and
• Children under 5 years old, but especially those younger than 2, are most susceptible to the flu

HOW IS FLU SPREAD?

Flu spreads mainly by droplets when people who have flu talk, cough, or sneeze, and these droplets land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or are inhaled. Less often, a person might get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.

People can spread flu to others from one day before they have symptoms to 5-7 days after they get sick. This can be longer in children and people who are very sick.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Flu symptoms can include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills
• Chills
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Headache
• Muscle or body aches
• Tiredness
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea (this is more common in children than adults)

WHEN IS THE VACCINE GIVEN?

It is recommended that children aged 6 months and older receive a yearly flu vaccine. Children under the age of 5, particularly those under 2, are at a heightened risk of experiencing severe complications associated with influenza. Getting vaccinated against the flu is the most effective method to decrease the likelihood of falling ill and developing any potential complications. Additionally, flu vaccination helps in reducing the transmission of the virus to others.

Children are eligible to receive the flu vaccine as soon as it becomes accessible, even if this occurs in July or August. For children between 6 months and 8 years old who are receiving their initial flu vaccine and have not received a total of two or more doses previously, or for whom the vaccination history is unknown, two doses are required. It is advised for these children to receive the first dose as soon as the vaccine is available, as the second dose should be administered at least four weeks after the first dose.

HISTORY OF FLU

• 1892 – German scientist Richard Pfeiffer isolated a small bacterium from the noses of patients with flu, naming it ‘bacillus influenzae’
• 1918-1919 – The H1N1 influenza pandemic swept across the world, estimated to have infected 500 million people worldwide, killing between 20 and 50 million.
• 1933 – The influenza virus was identified by British researchers, which permitted progress towards an effective vaccine. At this time they discovered another staring of the virus: influenza B
• 1940’s – Jonas Salk and others worked to develop the first inactivated flu vaccine with support from the US army.
• 1942 – A new bivalent vaccine was developed that protected against H1N1 strain of influenza A and the newly discovered influenza B.
• 1945 – the first flu A vaccine is licensed for use in the United States
• 1948 – Worldwide Influenza Centre was established to monitor the viruses in circulation
• 1952 – Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System was established
• 1957-1958 – A new H2N2 flu strain causes another flu pandemic. About 116,000 people died in the US, and about 1.1 million died worldwide.
• 1960 – US Public Health Service recommends flu vaccines for people in the US who are at high risk of flu complications
• 1968 – A new H3N2 flu strain causes another flu pandemic. Researchers develop flu vaccines for the specific strains causing the pandemic.
• 1974 – Discovered that existing vaccines were ineffective against the flu virus circulating at the time.
• 1997 – Bird flu caused by the H5N1 flu strain infects people.
• 2002 – ACIP recommends that children ages 6 to 23 months old gen an annual flu vaccine
• 2007 – FDA approves a flu vaccine for avian flu A caused by H5N1 strain.
• 2008 – ACIP recommends that people ages 6 months to 18 years old get annually vaccinated against the flu
• 2009 – H1N1 flu strain causes flu pandemic.

DID YOU KNOW? That September and October are generally good times to be vaccinated against flu.
Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by the end of October.

Sources
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/diseases/flu.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/history-disease-outbreaks-vaccine-timeline/flu

RETURN TO DISEASES PAGE