Course Summary

Influenza vaccine can be effective for preventing influenza illness. It is not known if vaccination reduces the risk of subsequent hospital admission among patients with vaccine failure and laboratory confirmed influenza illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone six months of age and older receive an annual vaccination. The best way to protect against influenza includes recognition of symptoms and prevention of spread, and annual vaccination. A summary of the latest information on the epidemiology of influenza, and the signs, symptoms, complications, and treatments with vaccines and antivirals for influenza are discussed.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• I.       Introduction
• II.      The Influenza Virus
  • 1.   Infected Droplets
  • 2.   Contact Transmission
  • 3.   Yearly Epidemics
  • 4.   Seasonal Variation
  • 5.   Severity and Outcomes
• III.        Clinical Features of Influenza Infection
• IV.        Diagnosis of Influenza
• V.         Complications of Influenza
• VI.        Treatment of Influenza Infection
  • 1.   Infection Control
  • 2.   Mask versus Respirator
• VII.         Prevention of Influenza Infections
• VIII.      Antivirals
  • 1.   New Antiviral Drug
• IX.         Children and Influenza
  • 1.   Children < 6 Months of Age
  • 2.   Children Aged 6 Months to 5 Years
  • 3.   American Indian and Alaskan Native Children
  • 4.   Children Aged 6 months – 18 years with Chronic Health Problems
  • 5.   Flu shots (IIV)
  • 6.   Nasal spray vaccine (LAIV4)
  • 7.   Special Vaccination Instructions for Children
• I.      Pregnancy and Influenza
• II.     Case Study: Vaccine Effectiveness
• III.    Case Study 2: Vaccine Effectiveness
• IV.    Summary

Author

Kellie Wilson, PharmD

Kellie Wilson is a Doctor of Pharmacy practicing in Anaconda, Montana, where she lives with her husband and four children. She attended the University of Montana in Missoula where she graduated in 2009 with a doctorate in pharmacy. She later worked in Boise, Idaho for a large, retail pharmacy for 2 years, and then returned home to Montana to oversee an independently owned retail and long-term care pharmacy in Anaconda. As an independent retail pharmacist she has become very involved in psychiatric pharmacy for two major behavioral health organizations that are located around all of Montana. Kellie’s passion is retail pharmacy because she enjoys the interactions with customers as well as the challenges and rewards of staying current with the continuous changes in the pharmacy field.