How Influenza

1
When Pigs Fly The History, Treatment and Social
Response to Swine Flu and Other Infectious
Diseases Group A Brown, Canning, Carter

• How Influenza Flew Through Time
• In 465 BC Hippocrates first described flu like
  symptoms that he observed in his patients. Since
  then its been a seasonal battle between humans
  and the influenza. The flus capability to mutate
  through transgenic shift makes the disease a
  potential threat to human life each year. There
  have been four recorded flu pandemics to date in
  history. A disease is classified as a pandemic
  when it spreads worldwide causing disease and
  death everywhere it hits. An epidemic on the
  other hand is a more contained spread of disease
  it stays in one region of the globe. The
  influenza virus is constantly changing in the
  arms race against modern health improvements. A
  recent study revealed that there are at least 500
  varieties of the influenza virus with more
  emerging all the time. Influenza is
  unpredictable, it has advanced beyond our means
  of fighting it in the past, and the threat looms
  for this to happen again in the future.
• Flu Pandemics
• 1918 Spanish Flu
• -H1N1
• -Killed up to 100 million worldwide
• -500 million infected, which was 1/3 of the world
  population
• -Lowered life expectancy in the US by 12 years
• If the epidemic continues its mathematical rate
  of acceleration, civilization could easily
  disappear from the face of the earth within a few
  weeks US Surgeon General Victor Vaughan (1918)
• 1957-58 Asian Flu
• -1-4 million deaths
• -70,000 deaths in United States
• -Vaccine came out in August 1957
• 1968-69 Hong Kong Flu

Social Reponses and the Role of Media The
medias level of response to an outbreak greatly
influences public sentiment and, by extension,
public policy in response to a virus. The media
can play an important role in protecting the
public by distributing accurate and relevant
information, help foster a sense of panic that
could ultimately cause more unrest than
appropriate, or prevent the public from
responding adequately by downplaying an actual
threat. Following the recent outbreak of the
H1N1 virus, many people believe the media
coverage of the outbreak elevated public anxiety
to unnecessary levels. In the 1980s, the
public relied on print media for information
about AIDS in the United States. However, during
recent swine flu outbreak, the public learned
about the virus and its spread through a myriad
of sources, including many internet-based media
such as online databases, blogs, Facebook, and
even Twitter. CDCs Twitter update on September
4rth, 2009 RT _at_CDCFlu Update 9/4/09 9,079
hospitalized cases of novel H1N1 flu, 593
deaths, 53 states/territories reporting
http//is.gd/2SUMb h Source
htp//twitter.com/CDCEmergency An excerpt from
Metro, a London daily newspaper, on April 26th,
2009 The sudden rise of swine flu may
trigger a pandemic that could wipe out 120million
people, an expert has warned. More than 80 people
are now thought to have died as the first scare
hit Britain. The death toll of the H1N1 virus
could reach 50million as high as the Spanish
Flu of 1918, according to John McCauley, of the
National Institute For Medical Research. Source
http//www.metro.co.uk/news/635961-swine-flu-could
-kill-up-to-120m Media Imagery Over-Repo
rting Past Outbreaks In 2003, the emergence of
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), gained
international media attention. Most studies
evaluating the medias performance during the
SARS outbreak determined the media coverage was
excessive, sensationalist, and sometimes
inaccurate (Bergeron and Sanchez, 2005).
Source Newsweek Archives
Modern Flu Treatments Vaccines work by
injecting a small amount of the virus into the
body, which triggers an Immune response. The
body then produces lymphocytes, which recognize
and attack viral DNA. Swine Flu
Vaccine Source Conant Medical Group
Vaccine Production Process- Vaccines are
typically made using chicken eggs, but some can
be made with hens eggs or yeast cells. A company
called Protein Sciences in Meriden, CT uses
insect cells instead of eggs, because they are
quicker and safer. The bits of virus that are
used need to be kept frozen, to prevent their
intensities from changing. When they are needed,
they are warmed up in a water bath or at room
temperature. They are added to a machine to help
them multiply. When the vaccine is finished
growing in whatever substance it is in, it is
removed and mixed together, because they are
usually made in separate parts. Allergy
Concerns Vaccines that are made in eggs are
clearly a concern to people with egg allergies.
Though surprisingly few people that are allergic
to eggs are actually allergic to the vaccines
made in them. Drug Companies GlaxoSmithKline
Biologicals and Wyeth Biotech are two large
vaccine manufacturers. Scientists Jonas
Salk attended New York University to study
medicine. In 1938 he began studying the influenza
virus with Thomas Francis Jr., a microbiologist,
and together they made an influenza vaccine for
American soldiers during World War II. In 1947,
Salk became head of research at the University of
Pittsburghs Virus Research Lab, where he worked
on a flu vaccine and polio vaccine
simultaneously. He developed a polio vaccine in
1952, which he tested on himself, his family, and
other volunteers. It was cleared for public use
when none of these people showed negative side
effects. An oral form of the same vaccine,
developed by Albert Sabin, soon replaced Salks
treatment method. Safety Concerns Vaccines are
relatively safe, and are certainly preferable to
the diseases which they prevent. One in three
people will get a sore arm, with redness and
swelling, about an hour after injection. 10 to
15 of patients will incur tiredness, headache,
or fever from injection. In rare cases, about 1
or 2 out of a million, people can contract
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a serious
neurological reaction. Swine Flu There was an
initial outbreak of Swine Flu in 1976, which was
confined to a military base. The vaccine
available then was not safe, as it caused an
increased risk of the serious neurological
reaction, GBS, mentioned above. When Swine came
back recently, it took less than 4 months to
become a world wide pandemic. The H1N1 vaccine
comes in three forms a Nasal spray called
FluMist, a single-vial injection, and multi-vial
injections. The first two treatments are
preferable to the third, because the multi-shot
injections contain Thimerasol, which is partially
composed of ethyl mercury. Though this is less
toxic than other forms of mercury, it is still
not desirable to have in ones body. The
Thimerasol is added to prevent bacterial
contamination in the vials.
Age Distribution of Deaths Caused by 1918 Flu
Worldwide
Images, often used in contemporary news media,
are sometimes more influential than written word.
This image of President Obama wearing a mask in
campaign poster suggests protecting oneself from
the H1N1 virus is patriotic. Source
http//littlemountainhomeopathy.files.wordpress.co
m/2009/08/obama-h1n1.jpg
Using the media, the World Health Organization
(WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
brought attention to a few cases in the United
States and the worst-case scenarios regarding the
spread SARS. The WHO and CDCs use of the media
cultivated a sense of fear among the public and
caused governments to enact large-scale
quarantines and travel bans. However, the WHO,
CDC and medias response had arguably more
detrimental effects on society than the virus
itself it paralyzed economies, brought attention
away from the spread of more threatening
diseases, such as Aids and malaria, and
unnecessarily increased the publics sense of
risk. As of July 2003, SARS had infected only
8,400 people and caused the death of 774 people
worldwide. In the United States experienced only
33 probable cases and no confirmed deaths (Siegel
, 2005).
Age Distribution of Deaths Caused by 2009-10
Swine Flu in US
Bibliography Bergeron, Sheri L. and Ana L.
Sanchez. 2005. Media Effects on Students during
SARS Outbreak. Emerging Infectious Diseases.
11(5). Bond, Allison. "Vaccine Production Is
Horribly Outdated. Here Are 3 Ways to Fix It."
Discover Magazine. 27 July 2009. Web. 16 Mar.
2010. lthttp//discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/27
-vaccine-production-horribly-outdated-3-ways-fix-i
tgt. Crosby, Alfred W. America's Forgotten
Pandemic the Influenza of 1918. Cambridge
Cambridge UP, 2003. Print. Conn Company Goes
into Production on Swine Flu Vaccine. Connecticut
Public Broadcasting Network, 28 May 2009. Web. 16
Mar. 2010. lthttp//www.cpbn.org/article/conn-compa
ny-goes-production-swine-flu-vaccinegt. Egg
Allergies and Vaccines. About.com, 12 Dec. 2007.
Web. 16 Mar. 2010. lthttp//foodallergies.about.com
/od/eggallergies/f/eggsinvaccines.htmgt. Farndon,
John. Everything You Need To Know Birdflu.
Cambridge Icon, 2005. Print. Fleming, Douglas.
"Influenza Pandemics and Avian Flu." BMJ British
Medical Journal 5 Nov. 2005 1066-069. JSTOR.
Web. 9 Mar. 2010. H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine Side
Effects, Safety. Web MD, 2010. Web. 16 Mar. 2010.
lthttp//www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/is-the
-h1n1-swine-flu-vaccine-safegt.
How Vaccine Is Made. Made How, 2010. Web. 16 Mar.
2010. lthttp//www.madehow.com/Volume-2/Vaccine.htm
lgt. May, Mike. "Pumping up Vaccine Production."
Drug Discovery Development. Mike May, Jan.
2008. Web. Mar. 2010. lthttp//www.dddmag.com/artic
le-vaccine-manufacturing-challenges.aspxgt. A
Science Odyssey People and Discoveries Jonas
Salk. PBS, 1998. Web. 16 Mar. 2010.
http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bmsal
k.html. Siegel, Marc. 2005. False Alarm The
Truth about the Epidemic of Fear. New Jersey
John Wiley Sons, Inc. Swine Flu Vaccine QA.
NHS Evidence, 06 May 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2010.
lthttp//www.library.nhs.uk/respiratory/ViewResourc
e.aspx?resID314032gt. Vaccine Allergy and Egg
Allergy. Dr. Paul. Web. 16 Mar. 2010.
lthttp//www.drpaul.com/library/VACALLERGY.htmlgt.
Why There's No Swine Flu Vaccine. Live Science,
29 Apr. 2009. Web. 16 Mar. 2010.
lthttp//www.livescience.com/health/090429-flu-vacc
ine.htmlgt. The Swine Flu Vaccine and You. Baby
Center, 2010. 16 Mar. 2010. lthttp//www.babycenter
.ca/swine-flu/h1n1-vaccinegt.
Source cdc.gov