Influenza is a viral disease and is highly contagious. It occurs in the cold months and develops into an epidemic unless stringent precautions are practiced. Human influenza’s epidemics have occurred rarely in history however its frequency and spread makes it a pandemic being more severe than regular seasonal outbreaks. Usually, pandemic happens when a new influenza virus spreads in the country or in extreme cases, across the world. This infection impacts the throat, nose, bronchi and in severe infection cases, lungs are also affected. Its symptoms are high fever, muscle pain, sore throat, cough and headache. Usually, the infection subsides in two weeks without medical intervention however in elder people and young children, infection usually develops in pneumonia and causes death. The average death rate from influenza in United States annually is approximately 49,000 deaths
The spread of influenza seasonally and its emergence as pandemic requires efforts at federal, state and local level of government to prepare and observe precautionary measures. The federal government includes the distribution of preventive medicines for influenza in the budget for state government. Moreover, the responsibility of the federal government is the formulation of policies for the methods for prevention of influenza and to issue directives to the state governments for the nation-wide prevention of influenza. The responsibility of state government is to ensure that the budget specified for influenza preventive medicines should get utilized in appropriate manner and the guidelines are issued to the hospitals, clinics and pharmacists to ensure the prevention of the diseases. Moreover the state government in collaboration with local government should educate people on the symptoms and causes of influenza flu along with methods of prevention and the check-list to be followed to ensure that infection doesn’t get spread.
References
Gardner, A. (2011, August 26). CDC Revises Death Estimates From Flu. Retrieved January 06, 2012, from Bloomberg Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/642530.html
Influenza. (2011). Retrieved January 06, 2012, from World health Organization: http://www.who.int/topics/influenza/en/
