How to deal with influenza?

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7467.633

BMJ 2004;329:633-634 (18 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7467.633

Editorial

How to deal with influenza?

Real time surveillance providing information on circulatingagents is the key

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Why is our rich and powerful society unable to prevent, defeat,or even contain the yearly onslaught of influenza? A clutchof papers in this issue provides glimpses of the answers.

What is commonly known as influenza or the flu is a syndrome,not a disease. Each year scores of different respiratory viruses(and a few bacteria) cause a mostly benign illness, which cannotbe distinguished clinically by causal agent. The syndrome shouldbe referred to as influenza-like illness rather than just influenza.Influenza should be reserved for the illness caused by influenzaA or B viruses. Influenza-like illness gives a better idea ofthe difficulties in diagnosis. Useful pointers may be the seasonalityof the epidemic (respiratory syncytial virus and influenza Aand B are usually autumnal or winter epidemics) or the age groupconcerned (respiratory syncytial virus has an affinity for veryyoung people). Another exception may be . . . [Full text of this article]

Tom Jefferson, coordinator

Cochrane Vaccines Field, Via Adige 28a, 00061 Anguillara Sabazia, Rome, Italy (Toj1@aol.com)

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