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Influenza and Influenza Vaccine: A Review
- Source :
- Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Influenza is a highly contagious, deadly virus, killing nearly half a million people yearly worldwide. The classic symptoms of influenza are fever, fatigue, cough, and body aches. In the outpatient setting, diagnosis can be made by clinical presentation with optional confirmatory diagnostic testing. Antiviral medications should be initiated as soon as possible, preferably within 24 hours of initiation of symptoms. The primary preventive measure against influenza is vaccination, which is recommended for all people 6 months of age or older, including pregnant and postpartum women, unless the individual has a contraindication. Vaccination should occur at the beginning of flu season, which typically begins in October. It takes approximately 14 days after vaccination for a healthy adult to reach peak antibody protection. There are challenges associated with vaccine composition and vaccine uptake. It takes approximately 6 to 8 months to identify and predict which influenza strains to include in the upcoming season's vaccine. During this time, the influenza virus may undergo antigenic drift, that is, mutating to avoid a host immune response. Antigenic drift makes the vaccine less effective in some seasons. The influenza virus occasionally undergoes antigenic shift, in which it changes to a novel virus, creating potential for a pandemic. There are also barriers to vaccine uptake, including lack of or limited access to care and misconceptions about receiving the vaccine. Interventions that improve access to and uptake of the influenza vaccine must be initiated, targeting multiple levels, including health care policy, patients, health care systems, and the health care team. This article reviews information about influenza identification, management, and prevention.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Pediatrics
medicine.medical_specialty
Influenza vaccine
Reviews
Review
Antiviral Agents
Antigenic drift
Virus
diagnostic tests
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Pregnancy
Influenza, Human
Maternity and Midwifery
Pandemic
Health care
Flu season
Humans
Medicine
030212 general & internal medicine
Epidemics
Pandemics
030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
business.industry
screening
Genetic Drift
Vaccination
Infant
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Antigenic shift
Influenza A virus
Influenza Vaccines
Mutation
Female
Seasons
influenza
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15422011 and 15269523
- Volume :
- 66
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....37ab2709afa5fe5ff8993b9ad9029158
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13203