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Please note: This is the general version of the course: Influenza Vaccination and Guidelines for Safe Prescribing R474B. No pharmacology credits will be earned. Click here to take the pharmacology version.

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Course Summary

Influenza can trigger a cascade of immune responses that result in systemic inflammation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  recommends that everyone six months of age and older receive an annual influenza vaccination. The best way to protect against influenza includes the recognition of symptoms and the prevention of virus spread. Individuals considered at increased risk for complications from influenza include young children, particularly those under the age of five, older adults, pregnant women, and people with certain chronic medical conditions. A summary of the latest information on the epidemiology of influenza, and the signs, symptoms, complications, and treatment through vaccines and antivirals is discussed. Clinicians must be prepared to recognize an adverse event due to vaccination in all age groups in order to intervene appropriately and to prevent further injury.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• Introduction
• The Influenza Virus
  • Infected Droplets
  • Contact Transmission
• Epidemiology and Incidence
  • Annual Epidemics
  • Seasonal Variation
  • Severity and Outcomes
• Prevention of Influenza Infections
• Clinical Features of Influenza Infection
• Diagnosis of Influenza
• Complications of Influenza
• Treatment of Influenza Infection
  • Antivirals
  • New Antiviral Drug: Baloxavir Marboxil
• Pediatric Groups
  • Native Americans and Alaska Natives
• Pregnancy
• CDC Recommendations: Infection Control and Seasonal Outbreaks
  • Respiratory Hygiene/Cough Etiquette
  • Mask versus Respirator
  • Recommendations for Influenza Season
  • Vaccine Selection
  • Special Considerations: Allergy and Anaphylaxis
• Study 1: Vaccine Effectiveness
• Study 2: Vaccine Effectiveness
• Study 3: Vaccine Effectiveness
• Summary

Authors

Marilyn Lajoie, MD, DC, CCSP

Dr. Marilyn Lajoie obtained her medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine in 1999, Her residency began with one year of Anatomical and Surgical Pathology at Orlando Regional Medical Center, before transferring within the same post-graduate residency program to Internal Medicine. Upon completion of residency, she went into private practice in Orlando, where she specialized in Internal Medicine, Sports Medicine and Rehab, as well as acute and chronic pain management. Before becoming a medical doctor, she had practiced as a Chiropractic Physician, graduating from New York Chiropractic College in 1980, practicing initially on Long Island, N.Y., before moving to Florida where she had a successful chiropractic practice and physical rehabilitation center, and gained recognition as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician. Dr. Lajoie was also the Director of Physical Therapy at Horizon Hospital, a residential and outpatient psychiatric hospital, and later, continued in the same capacity at Horizon’s sister psychiatric hospital in Brooksville, Florida. Dr. Lajoie maintained her chiropractic license and continued to practice both Internal Medicine and Chiropractic throughout private practice, until moving to the Veterans Healthcare System in 2014. Continuing in both fields, she became the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Montana VA, where she completed her service in 2021. Dr. Lajoie now works predominantly in telemedicine, and in an Expert Witness capacity for both medical and chiropractic cases. Still living in Montana, she enjoys being able to treat not only the rural areas of the state through this technology, but also patients across the US where she maintains multiple active state licenses. She and her husband also own a llama ranch with over thirty llamas that are hand selected for rare genetics. At the llama ranch, the public is invited to come and visit to learn about these elegant creatures, and to see ranch life firsthand – llama style! Dr. Lajoie and her husband have six adult children, as well as seven dogs.

Harpreet Ghai, MS (Pharm), BPharm, Rph

Harpreet Ghai has been a practicing Pharmacist for 12 years in Comox, British Columbia. He has also completed his Master’s in Science, specializing in Medicinal Chemistry from NIPER (National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research), in India. He has spent 3 years in Pharmaceutical Research at Ranbaxy in Gurugram (India), where he was engaged in Structure-based drug designing and was a part of a premier research-intensive group responsible for discovering novel drugs. Harpreet enjoys the day-to-day challenges at the retail pharmacy. Interactions with customers, listening to their drug-related issues, and providing solutions are profoundly rewarding.