2Ī comprehensive analysis of COVID-19 and influenza is necessary to differentiate between these two viruses regarding structure, identification, and vaccine development. The data from the WHO includes low- to middle-income countries without the same access to preventative and acute medical care as is available in developed countries such as the United States. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 650,000 people worldwide die due to flu-related respiratory illness each year. Getting a yearly flu vaccine helps reduce the risk of illness from the seasonal influenza virus. Like COVID-19, symptoms and severity of influenza vary from person to person. The flu epidemic occurs every year in the United States in the fall and winter months. 1 One of the most well-known outbreaks of the influenza virus was the 1918 Spanish flu, which was an outbreak of H1N1, or swine flu. The influenza virus was first isolated in the laboratory in 1932 but has caused pandemics and epidemics every year, which is similar to what we experience with seasonal influenza activity today. While COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, influenza is a common seasonal illness caused by influenza virus A or B (IAV or IBV). Everything learned throughout the pandemic has led to the development of reliable laboratory testing and multiple vaccine options for COVID-19. The pandemic taught the scientific and medical communities more about COVID-19 than they knew in late 2019. The severity of both viruses varies from person to person, with some people acting as asymptomatic carriers, and others receiving treatment in the intensive care unit on ventilators. With COVID-19 being a respiratory disease that has similar symptoms to the influenza virus, and while the two viruses share some similarities, the differences are clinically significant.
Upon completion of this article, the reader will be able to:ġ.ĝescribe the structural differences between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus A or B (IAV or IBV).Ģ.ĝescribe how antigenic drift and antigenic shift occur for IAV or IBV and SARS-CoV-2.ģ.ĝescribe the types of lab assays available for detecting an infection with SARS-CoV-2 or IAV and IBV, as well as tests used to monitor the health status of patients with COVID-19.Ĥ.ĝescribe the vaccines available to prevent disease from SARS-CoV-2 or IAV and IBV. For more information, visit the Continuing Education tab.
For a printable version of the September CE Story and test go HERE or to take test online go HERE.
0 kommentar(er)
