The Influenza Virus: Understanding Your Enemy

" Hi and welcome to our web -- and doctor David marks the influenza virus was -- flu infects more than ninety million Americans each year. Most people get better within a week or two the song can develop life threatening complications. About a 100000 people -- hospital each year in more than 20000 of them dot. So what exactly is this virus and where did it come from. And what are its potential health risks joining me to answer these questions are two experts. Person's doctor Jason -- his assistant professor of medicine at Cornell medical and welcome. Thank you. And his colleague at Cornell Medical Center is doctor Adams Straka also assistant professor of medicine there thanks thank you. For what is a virus to begin. Ours is a very narrow living. Article back. Differs from bacteria because it's much smaller than bacteria. And it differs from bacteria because it needs ourselves or the -- of another host live with and it cannot live on its own. Is it actually alive it is alive and living living thing OK -- differences are. Bacteria don't need us to live. But they can certainly -- that inside of us is that right correct okay good. Now influenza is a specific type of virus. Correct that's correct page you tell me a little bit about the title rivals. The influenza viruses and RNA virus. It causes what does that mean. I it means that is the type of genetic material and it has all viruses need to replicate themselves in order to cause infections and to spread infection. From one post to another -- Influenza virus in particular is spread by airborne are spread so that a patient who's infected with influenza a horse needs and can therefore transmit this to another post. You know -- comes up kind of cyclically during during different seasons. Isn't around all the time. Actually here in in. And our continent in this and in this environment it's around -- in the wintertime actually between. The lakes are around November until March or April. And yes. Basically in the winter and that's and and southern climate it's actually the opposite is staring -- their winter which is opposite to ours. And tropical climate it is actually around all the time. Some nice here in the winter. And elicits a little unclear on it probably has to do partly with crowding people are together -- in the wintertime and so the virus is much more easily able to spread because of that. And it probably lives better and called dry environments and it doesn't summer time in more humid environments and we're talking about influenza viruses if it -- one virus but really they're different types who is in that category. That's correct there's influence at any intensity and influence the sequel different types of virus. Most of the outbreaks most of the disease -- seen people from influenza a or big. Influence is seen as sort of the causing much milder disease I'm never heard of influences -- frankly you -- since we never hear about the medical school's president problem at all. It's generally not considered to be clinically significant -- to close and very mild. Old sort of symptoms are most -- the one that really caught it in Poland and the and the ones that really caused human disease and can funds and the one that can cause very severe outbreaks much more commonly and he. How do we know which influenza type is going to be around each year. The Arab World Health Organization actually does active surveillance at different sites throughout the world of tank and in to try and anticipate trying to prepare the flu vaccine for the coming season they look at the most common -- types of the influenza virus that this in different cities and worlds and times. -- and I had been the stereotypes that we -- talent of the season will be seen next year oftentimes these certain -- in the Southern Hemisphere's will be found in the Northern Hemisphere so what do nicer attack. -- has different proteins different surface proteins known in the days human -- so -- and these proteins are on the surface of the virus. That's the virus infects our tanks. And these these are. These are certain types are these different proteins on the surface are recognized by the body and -- the source of the community are. Communal response to fight off the -- so so I'm. Concerns the virus is broken and that includes Andy for the most part and then those are also broken down into different types of that. Based on these types of proteins there will be classified into a different type of influence and Annan and and it also. Classified by where they were first discovered. So you may find influenza a Hong Kong virus and then another syrup type designation and and -- sort of tells us what type it is. That was so you answer my question about a different types. So basically people from any of the world health organization of CDC are trying to predict. What's going to be coming down the road that's correct. Maybe that's why sometimes the vaccine is not as effective at that -- seems. Not a reason practice on yours for starters -- correct you know the deep particular stereotype of the influenza virus that are used in the vaccine. Need to become what we need to come up 56 to -- nine months. -- head of time in order to properly developed a vaccine and so yes sometimes we just wrong. -- does is starting humans are just starting animals it. It's stuck in animals and this circle both of its development is a little bit unclear in some areas but it it is a circle between. I'm birds pigs and humans. And one of the beliefs that many of these -- to start in. In Asia and China because in some of those environments there is a very close proximity of those animals and humans together and it does seem to be this development. Together of these -- is being passed from one another how exactly does a pass from an animal to a human. In general it's through the airborne route so influenza particles. You know in the course of respiratory infection through -- through sneezing some of these particles get personalized and go from one. It is very different animal to a human corpse from human to him -- a pet -- you need to -- congress now -- the -- right. It just doesn't interest in history that that dates back. Decades and generations and tell us some of the stories and in the history of the -- that this very uninteresting. Present and I was an historian and so I'll take that question it. And it's a very old are heard descriptions back to. Outbreaks that seem very seem to be influenza -- dating back to 1100. One of the things about influenza is that it causes yearly disease with an -- so it causes. Severe outbreaks every certain number of years ten -- twenty or thirty years. Find the most severe outbreak ever which -- pandemic. That was in 1918 the so called Spanish flu. Which aren't inspected it. About I don't have to world's population and told about twenty million people more people were killed in World War I actually. Com and and there have been several others endemic throughout this century. Han and action throughout the nineteen hundreds really. And it hadn't picked at the Paris itself was not discovered until the thirties but instead outbreaks are very very class. So they can be found going back -- necessarily. 1100 and and and after that and the most recent pandemic was he Hong Kong flu of 1968. To switch over 30000. People in this country were killed. So we do for another one. We hope not but you know that's always something that people are concerned about and one of the reasons why this surveillance this is -- and so. I'm so closely every year to try to predict that's going to happen into trying to confront it and and have a vaccine available for it to prevent it. Now it let's say to vaccine is ask since Iran on. Our people resettle Lockhart are things that we can do it. Well. That's seen as one means of prevention of the flu and obviously under other means there are some medications actually that had been shown. Two. Be useful and -- people who've been exposed to the flu were likely to be exposed to the flu. The first ones that came on the market for a man who dean and -- and in some kind. And more recently there are two new products and -- amenities inhibitors. Under the names of Tamiflu and Walesa. And I so it depends on how we are I mean if if that is the vaccine is only a little bit not from monster type. From then it may help protect somewhat number common sense things like washing your hands and covering your -- and you know. For the European -- humor and obviously that's helpful as well to help prevent spread Kennedys are tight keep change and -- Tom. Is it just -- we're selecting our president and each year. Through mutations -- and and we select basically as people get immune to the different circuits that are that are there the virus mutates and changes. When no changes it causes -- the one it has a very large changes it cause and the severe pandemic. Okay and hopefully this year will not be one of them to correct what Clinton okay thank you both for joining us thank you for watching -- broadcast I'm doctor David marks divine."