Communicable Disease Paper: Influenza
John Doe
HCS/457
Professor Monica Vargas
September 13, 2015

Communicable Disease Paper: Influenza Malaria, Hepatitis, Polio, Tuberculosis, Pertusus, Ebola, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Influenza. These are just a number of communicable diseases that people are faced with. “Communicable diseases spread from one person to another or from an animal to a person. The spread often happens via airborne viruses or bacteria, but also through blood or other bodily fluid. The terms infectious and contagious are also used to describe communicable disease” (Global Health, 2015). One of the most common known communicable disease is Influenza, commonly known as the flu. According to the American Journal for Microbiology, Influenza can send more than 200,000 people to the hospital a year, while having death as an end result from the flu or from flu-related complications (JVI, 2015). There are various environmental factors that are related to the flu, while having an influence by lifestyles, socioeconomic statuses as well as disease management. From all of this the public health department is trying to not only reduce the threats that are caused by influenza, but the data and evidence-based interventions are a start to a plan in ensuring quality health.
Influenza and Efforts to Control it Influenza or the Flu, is a contagious illness that affects the respiratory system. It comes in forms of mild to severe, with the unfortunate ending sometimes resulting in death. The best prevention and control of the flu is to get vaccinated. The flu has caused three pandemics in the 20th century with one in the 21st century, as reported by Global Health in 2015. The best way to control influenza from going from an outbreak to a pandemic is to get vaccinated. There are various different options that people can take to receive the vaccination. There is the most common, the flu shot, then there is also a nasal spray. The nasal spray carries a live strand of the virus that is exposed to the immune system to conquer over it. The flu shot, on the other hand, helps protect against the different strands of influenza and is a dead form of the virus.
Environmental Factors There are many environmental factors that relate directly to this disease. To start, in different temperature climates the “flu season” can vary. It was thought that they only exist during a low level through the year and have seasonal increases during the winter cold months. The Flu season is a direct result of constant levels of infection mediated differently by various host immune systems over a period of time instead of having sweeping waves of the flu traveling across the globe, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Influences of Lifestyles, Socioeconomic Status and Disease Management It starts with the provider, their beliefs and attitudes, their location and how they work. Physical circumstances include altitude temperature, regimes and pollutants; social context includes social networks, access to care and perception of risk behavior; economic conditions are the quality of nutrition, health and insurance access of patients (CDC, 2015). The best way to prevent getting the flu is to get vaccinated, have access to clean water, having a proper nutritional meal and live within a sanitized environment. These few factors can dramatically close gaps between the people who are in a higher socioeconomic status, who have the ability to have health care at their call, compared to the people who are struggling to make ends meet and trying to afford some type of insurance coverage. In each community, there are various approved stations that can provide the influenza vaccine. Many physicians offices offer the shot for their patients, but for those who are lower on money and have to really watch what they spend can go to the neighborhood Walgreens, Walmart or even target and go to their pharmacy department and get the flu shot administered by the pharmacist. They offer this vaccination at a low cost to the consumer, to push them to get the shot to prolong their life.
What is the Public Health Department doing to Undermine this Disease The biggest thing the department of public health is doing to try to eliminate the number of outbreaks from influenza, is promoting the vaccine. There are rules to being able to get the shot. The best time to get the flu shot, according to the CDC, is October through November. According to the CDC, people who are over the age of 50 years and between 6 and 23 months should be vaccinated early. They also suggest that people with certain medical conditions and are ages 2 to 49 years old should be vaccinated. Finally, any child under the age of 9 years old who have not had the influenza vaccination before should get it done in October. Health Care Workers should be covered as soon as possible, to prevent themselves becoming a host for the virus.
Conclusion
With a total of 145 flu-associated pediatric deaths reported to the CDC during the 2014-2015 season, this shows us that what we think is a common cold can turn into something serious resulting in death. By week 35 of 2015, 5% of deaths reported to the CDC were due to pneumonia and influenza; which this percentage came below the epidemic threshold of 5.8% (CDC, 2015).

References

Communicable Diseases. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2015, from http:// www.globalhealth.gov/global-health-topics/communicable-diseases/
Communicable diseases and crises. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2015, from http:// www.who.int/hac/techguidance/pht/comdisease/en/
Lofgren, E., Fefferman, N., Naumov, Y., Gorski, J., & Naumova, E. (2006, December 20). Influenza Seasonality: Underlying Causes and Modeling Theories. Retrieved September 13, 2015, from http://jvi.asm.org/content/81/11/5429.full
Prevention and Control of Influenza. (2013, April 25). Retrieved September 13, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5208a1.htm
How Does Where People Live Affect Their Health? (2010). In Understanding the changing planet strategic directions for the geographical sciences (pp. 67-69). Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.