Influenza Quotes

“Wikipedia: Influenza”

“Influenza is able to change itself from one year to the next so the natural infection or immunization the previous year doesn't infect you the following year. HIV does that during a single infection.”

“Despite our modern arsenal of antibiotics, of viral and bacterial vaccines, of antiviral drugs, advanced intensive care treatment, and nonpharmaceutical interventions (138), we are still doing a poor job of preventing influenza deaths.”

“Historical evidence from influenza pandemics which occurred in the past century shows us that pandemics tend to come in waves over the first 2–5 years as the population immunity builds-up (naturally or through vaccination), and then the number of infected cases tends to decrease.”

“We are no doubt more prepared in 2018 for an infectious disease threat than in 1918. But it is critical to remember that preparation only stems from a global commitment to share data about viral isolates, support innovative research, and dedicate resources to assess the pandemic risk of new and emerging influenza viruses from zoonotic reservoirs.”

“Waterbirds, to an influenza researcher, are more than majestic swans and charming mallards. They are instead stealthy vectors of novel influenza viruses, some of nature's bioterrorist agents, chauffeuring dangerous microbes from place to place.”

“No one really knows, for example, why one nation, such as Australia, can be hit hard by influenza for several years while a neighbouring country, such as New Zealand, sees very low rates, says Webby. Even influenza’s seasonality isn’t entirely understood, nor exactly how it travels around the globe. “We don’t have a real good handle on why it’s a winter disease,” he says.”

“Influenza pandemics are events that have occurred in the past and will undoubtedly occur in the future. There is uncertainty about when the next influenza pandemic will occur, who will be most impacted, and how many will fall victim to this viral disease. These uncertainties make communicating the risk and consequences of pandemic influenza a greater communication challenge than the usual public health threats.”

“Epidemic influenza has been shown to significantly disrupt and adversely effect the delivery of health care. Control of yearly epidemics would not only reduce pain, suffering, and death, but would facilitate planning for efficient delivery of care by reducing the annual stress imposed by the influx of patients during annual influenza epidemics and provide an effective means of combating the threat of the next pandemic.”

“Pandemics of influenza have been recognized since earliest recorded history and, because of the mutability of the virus, still represent a formidable threat to the health of the nation. Although much progress has been made in describing the molecular aspects off the virus, in elucidating the epidemiology and modes of spread, and in developing methods for prevention and treatment, a rational strategy for control has not been established.”

“Although many thousands of people are continually exposed to a huge array of avian influenza A viruses, few pandemics have emerged over the past millennium; as the global human population has greatly increased, pandemic frequency has not. This suggests that despite a low species barrier for individual zoonotic infection by wild and poultry-adapted influenza A viruses, barriers against productive viral adaptation and onward transmission in humans must be high.”

“Despite improvements since 1918, governments and health care systems remain inadequately prepared for the impact of a 1918-like severe influenza pandemic. A significant focus on improving global preparedness for infectious disease threats has occurred through implementation of the Global Health Security Agenda and associated efforts. Beginning with the revision of the International Health Regulations in 2005, milestones were set for countries to achieve greater response capacity for public health emergencies. However, by 2016, only one-third of countries were in compliance.”

“Sambucus nigra L. products - Sambucol - are based on a standardized black elderberry extract. They are natural remedies with antiviral properties, especially against different strains of influenza virus. Sambucol was shown to be effective in vitro against 10 strains of influenza virus. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study, Sambucol reduced the duration of flu symptoms to 3-4 days. Convalescent phase serum showed a higher antibody level to influenza virus in the Sambucol group, than in the control group.”

“Influenza was a major public health problem for centuries before 1918, and remains so today, in terms of both sporadic pandemics and annual seasonal epidemic recurrences of variable severity. There will undoubtedly be influenza pandemics in the future, but despite an enormous amount of study, it is not possible to predict when and where they will appear, what viral subtypes they will be caused by, or what pathogenic properties they will display. Enhanced influenza virus surveillance, especially at the animal-human interface, is clearly important, but we lack any real ability to identify pre-pandemic viruses before they become pandemic.”

“The survival data for TGEV and MHV suggest that enveloped viruses can remain infectious on surfaces long enough for people to come in contact with them, posing a risk for exposure that leads to infection and possible disease transmission. This risk may also occur for other enveloped viruses, such as influenza virus. The potential reemergence of SARS or the emergence of new strains of pandemic influenza virus, including avian and swine influenza viruses, could pose serious risks for nosocomial disease spread via contaminated surfaces. However, this risk is still poorly understood, and more work is needed to quantify the risk of exposure and possible transmission associated with surfaces.”

“After the influenza pandemic of 1918, influenza went back to its usual pattern of regional epidemics of lesser virulence in the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. With the first isolation of a virus from humans in 1933, speculation began about the possible role of a similar virus in 1918. However, believing that this could have been the case was difficult until the pandemic of 1957. This was the first time the rapid global spread of a modern influenza virus was available for laboratory investigation. With the exception of persons >70 years of age, the public was confronted by a virus with which it had had no experience, and it was shown that the virus alone, without bacterial coinvaders, was lethal.”

“As we now know, wild birds are the natural reservoir for influenza A viruses. With extensive antigenic and genetic diversity inherent among influenza virus surface proteins, a strain to which humans are immunologically naïve could jump the species barrier at any time. A(H5N1) viruses and, more recently, A(H7N9) viruses, are two such examples. However, swine are also recognized as a “mixing vessel” for influenza viruses, and over the past two decades, there has been an increase in human cases following exposure to infected pigs. There is clearly, and alarmingly, a vast diversity of zoonotic sources of influenza A viruses that could acquire a transmissible phenotype in humans and cause a pandemic.”

“The small British Crown dependency of Tristan da Cunha is one of the most isolated points on the planet. Over 1700 miles off the coast of South Africa, it is home to fewer than 300 permanent inhabitants. The island’s capital, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, is commonly considered to be the most remote permanent human settlement. Without suitable ground for a paved airstrip, Tristan da Cunha’s only lifeline to the outside world is by sea. In 1971, the supply ship Tristania brought an unwelcome stowaway to the island: the alphainfluenzavirus H3N2, known as the Hong Kong flu at the time. By winter’s end, 96% of the population would contract influenza, with almost a third experiencing at least two distinct episodes of illness.”

“Planning and preparedness efforts are widespread and ongoing, on a scale likely not imagined in 1918. Pandemic plans have been developed by a variety of stakeholders, including nations, states, counties, cities, and businesses. WHO has published essential steps for developing a national pandemic plan, as well as a checklist for pandemic influenza risk and impact management . In the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services published an updated 2017 Pandemic Influenza Plan that highlighted successes since the 2005 Pandemic Influenza Plan and emphasized needed improvements . However, the majority of countries reported by WHO still have no, or no publically available, national plan for pandemic preparedness and risk management.”

“All pandemics are different. The minimum requirement seems to be a major change or shift in the HA antigen (1968). In 1957, changes in both HA and NA antigens were associated with higher rates of illness and death. The memorable and probably unique severity of the 1918 pandemic may have depended, at least in part, on wartime conditions and secondary bacterial infections in the absence of antimicrobial drugs. Also, mechanical respirators and supplemental oxygen were not available. Although evidence is strong that recombinational capture of animal influenza HA or NA antigens may be essential for pandemic origins, extreme antigenic drift, such as that which occurred in 1947, can lead to global dissemination and disease by the multiply mutated virus.”