class+notes+on+the+flu+EAT


 * viruses
 * they are not cells
 * they are very very small- much smaller than cells
 * they can get inside the cell
 * they come in different shapes
 * flu virus
 * not uniform im shape
 * some are round- some long- they form all sorts of different shapes
 * different types- all an RNA virus
 * infects the cells in your lungs- the virus is able to identify the lung cells because they have receptors that are different from other cells- these lung receptors only fit with the proteins on the virus (like a lock and key)- the virus is only able to attach to the lung cells.
 * types A and B viruses cause epidemics of this disease almost every winter
 * getting the flu shot can prevent types A and B but not always C
 * influenza A virus are found in chickens, ducks, pigs, whales, horses, and seals
 * B virus is mostly found in humans
 * how a virus gets into a cell
 * has special proteins that are on its surface that are going to connect with special proteins on the surface of the cell (receptors)
 * the virus is much much smaller than the cell and its proteins connect with the receptors- fusing the virus with the cell- enabling the virus to inject its genetic information- hijack the cell- and get the cell to make copies of the virus
 * flu vaccination
 * prevents influenza
 * prevents influenza related deaths
 * each year 34,000 people in the U.S. die because of the flu... most are 65 or older- more people die from the flu than from any other vaccination preventable disease
 * prevents sever illness
 * in the U.S. influenza puts about 2000,000 people in the hospital each year- children younger than 2 are as likely to be hospitalized as adults who are 65 or older
 * protects other people (prevents you from spreading the virus)
 * you should get vaccinated if you live with or care for elders who are at high risk of getting influenza
 * each year many labs through out the world collect the flu virus- they pick the three most likely to spread to the U.S. and choose to make a vaccine for the virus
 * two different subtypes of A viruses and one type of B virus- they go into the vaccine for the next winter
 * you have to get a new vaccine every year because the virus is constantly changing
 * takes about two weeks for the body to build up the immunity- in the meantime you are still at risk of getting the virus
 * get your flu shot early in the fall
 * the protection lasts about 6 months
 * made by growing the flu virus in a hens egg- purifying it and completely killing it with a chemical... the influenza vaccine is a "killed" virus
 * each year they determine which viruses are being circulated (its a guess)
 * its not a guarantee that you will be protected \
 * people with egg allergies cant get the vaccination because it is grown in eggs- but people can get you "desensitized" by exposing people to eggs a little bit more each year
 * there is a shot (treated with a chemical) and a nasal spray is a weakened virus (only to be given to healthy people)
 * both contain three types of virus- chosen by the government based on which ones are circulating- both grown in eggs
 * how it changes
 * the viruses that infect us also infect pigs
 * there are "swine" pigs that have this virus- people who work with these pigs can get the virus
 * each year we get this virus from the pigs and then it starts to spread around the world
 * pig mostly in Asia
 * the infected animals are able to get human influenza and the bird flu- these two viruses could merge in the pig and they would then pass the new virus on to people