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1. UNIVERSIDAD TECNICA DE MACHALA
ACADEMIC UNIT OF CHEMICAL
SCIENCES AND HEALTH
MEDICINE SCHOOL
ENGLISH
INFLUENZA
STUDENTS
William Cruz
Kevin Herrera
Jorge Pacheco
Angie Chamba
Sonia Quijilema
TEACHER:
Mgs. Barreto Huilcapi Lina Maribel
CLASS:
EIGHTH SEMESTER ‘’A’’
Machala, El Oro
2018

2. Influenza
Definition
Commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza
virus. Symptoms can be mild to severe. The most common symptoms include:
high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pains, headache, coughing, sneezing,
and feeling tired. These symptoms typically begin two days after exposure to the virus and
most last less than a week. The cough, however, may last for more than two weeks. In
children, there may be diarrhea and vomiting, but these are not common in adults. Diarrhea
and vomiting occur more commonly in gastroenteritis, which is an unrelated disease and
sometimes inaccurately referred to as "stomach flu" or the "24-hour flu".Complications of
influenza may include viral pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia, sinus infections,
and worsening of previous health problems such as asthma or heart failure.
Etiology
Flu viruses travel through the air through the drops when someone who has the infection
coughs, sneezes or speaks. You can inhale the drops directly or you can contract the germs
from an object (for example, a telephone or the keyboard of a computer) and then transmit
them to your eyes, nose or mouth.
People with the virus are likely to get it from the day before the onset of symptoms until
five days after the onset of symptoms, although they can sometimes infect it for as long as
10 days after the onset of symptoms. Children and people with weakened immune systems
can spread the virus for a slightly longer time.

3. Influenza viruses are constantly changing; There are new strains that appear on a regular
basis. If you have had influenza in the past, your body has already produced antibodies to
fight that specific strain of the virus. If the future influenza viruses are similar to those that
you have already been exposed to because of having had the disease or receiving the
vaccine, these antibodies can prevent the infection or reduce its severity.
However, antibodies against influenza viruses that you have been exposed to in the past can
not protect you from the new subtypes of influenza that may be very different from the
previous ones from the immunological point of view.
Signs and symptoms
 Fever and chills
 Cough
 Nasal congestion
 Runny nose
 Sneezing
 Sore throat
 Hoarseness
 Earache
 Muscle pains
 Fatigue
 Headache
 Irritated, watering eyes
 Reddened eyes, skin (especially face), mouth, throat and nose
 Petechial rash
 In children, gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting,diarrhea, and abdominal
pain, (may be severe in children with influenza B)
People who get the flu can spread the virus to others by coughing or sneezing. The droplets
that fall off when a sick person coughs, sneezes or speaks can end up in the mouth or on the
nose of who are close. These droplets can also be inhaled and deposited in the lungs.
People can also get influenza by touching something contaminated with influenza viruses,
such as Doors, tables or the hand of an infected person, and then touch the mouth or nose.

4. Complications of influenza
Most people who get the flu will recover in a period ranging from a few days to less than
two weeks, but some people develop complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of
influenza, some of which can put them at risk life and cause death.
Sinus and ear infections are examples of moderate complications of influenza while
pneumonia is a serious complication due to influenza that can cause infection by the
influenza virus or bacterial coinfection and by the influenza virus. Other possible serious
complications triggered by influenza can be inflammation of the tissue surrounding the
heart (myocarditis), brain tissue (encephalitis) or muscle tissue (myositis, rhabdomyolysis)
and multiorgan failure (eg, renal failure and respratory). Inflammatory virus infection of the
airways can trigger an inflammatory response in the body and can lead to sepsis, a response
to life-threatening infections. Influenza can also worsen other chronic health problems. For
example, people with asthma may have asthma attacks while they have influenza and
people with chronic heart disease may have an exacerbation of their condition triggered by
influenza.
Diagnosis
A series of tests can help diagnose influenza (see table). But it is not necessary to make an
analysis to all patients with presumed influenza. In the case of individual patients, the tests
are more useful when there are possibilities that they yield useful results in clinical terms
that collaborate with the diagnosis and treatment decisions. In an outbreak of respiratory
diseases in a closed environment (eg, hospitals, long-term care facilities, cruise ships,
boarding schools, summer camps), influenza screening tests can be useful in determining if
the cause of the outbreak It's the flu.
Diagnostic tests available for influenza include viral culture, serological tests, rapid antigen
detection test, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR),
immunofluorescence assays, and rapid detection molecular assays. The sensitivity and
specificity of any influenza test may vary depending on the laboratory that performs it, the
type of test used, the time that elapses between the beginning of the disease and the
collection of the sample, and the type of sample analyzed. Among respiratory specimens
for viral isolation or rapid detection of influenza viruses, nasal and nasopharyngeal
specimens generally perform better than nasal or throat swab specimens. As with any other

5. diagnostic test, the results should be evaluated in the context of other clinical and
epidemiological information available to health care providers.
Treatment
It has been shown that antiviral medicine reduces flu symptoms if given within a day or two
after becoming sick. It is recommended for people with more serious illnesses, especially
those that may require hospitalization. Treatment with antiviral medicine is more important
for people with suspected or confirmed influenza, as they are at higher risk of
complications.
Prevention
1. Get vaccinated against the flu every year. It is recommended that everyone over 6
months get the flu shot every year. The flu vaccine protects you from several of the most
common types of influenza, and it is very effective.
2. Practice good health habits. Wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose, and do not go
to work, school and public places when you are sick.
Bibliography
 Avendaño L. Influenza virus, Clinical Virology. Mediterranean. Editorial
Mediterráneo Ltda. Santiago 2011 p. 121-127.
 Prevention and Control of Influenza Recommendations of the Advisory Committee
on Immunization Practices (ACIP), August 8, 2008 / Vol. 57 / No. RR-7.
 Baehr F, Morin G, Del Solar J, Olivi H, Torrez J Clinical characterization of adults
under and over 50 hospitalized for influenza A H1N1 2009 in a private hospital in
Santiago, Chile. Rev Chil Infect 2010; 27 (2): 139-143.