The community paramedic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

The community paramedic - Essay Example Better known as â€Å"the flu,† influenza is a viral respiratory disease of the upper respiratory system (Lowen, Mubareka, Steel & Palese, 2007). If unchecked, it may develop into pneumonia or other serious conditions, especially in the case of pregnant women, younger children, older adults, and people suffering health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma, which compromise the immune system. It is seasonal, running from fall to spring and reaching its peak during winter. Influenza A, B, and C viruses cause the seasonal flu, which has virus strains that mutate every year. This necessitates development of a new flu vaccine every year. The symptoms for the seasonal flu include moderate-to-high fever; dry and hacking cough; shaking chills; sore throat; headache; severe body and muscle aches; profound fatigue; and runny/stuffy nose. The common cold is named as such because it infects far more people than the seasonal flu (Singh & Das, 2011). The common cold, however, does not result in respiratory conditions, and its mild symptoms may take up to two weeks to subside. It can result from more than 100 varying viruses. Among the most common of these viruses is the highly contagious rhinovirus that causes sneezing and sniffling. Other viruses include respiratory syncytial viruses and coronaviruses. A majority of common colds occur in low humidity areas, especially during winter and fall months. The symptoms of the common cold include sore throat, stuffy/running nose, mild-to-moderate fever, sneezing, headache or body aches, cough, and mild fatigue. Community paramedics have an overall role of ensuring continual improvement of the healthcare system in a community. They assist in monitoring of influenza vaccination programs through assessment, whereby they ensure regular collection, collation, analysis and distribution of information on influenza vaccination programs