Rapid Influenza Testing in Children and Adults Case Study

Introduction

Influenza is, in basic terms, a viral attack on the respiratory system of an individual.  In most cases, it is simply referred to as the flu.  Some of the more common symptoms of influenza include, but they are not limited to, a sore throat, nasal congestion, weakness and fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and fever.  In as far as diagnosis is concerned, a physical exam is in most cases conducted alongside tests.  There are various tests that could be used in influenza diagnosis.  These could be inclusive of the rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs).  

Discussion

From the onset, it is important to note that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (2016), RIDTs “are immunoassays that can identify the presence of influenza A and B viral nucleoprotein antigens in respiratory specimens, and display the result in a qualitative way (positive vs. negative).”  As CDC further points out, these tests are commercially available in the U.S.  Examples of RIDTs could be inclusive of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunochromatographic tests.  Due to their rapidity (i.e. rapidly available results) and ease of use, RIDTs are in most instances deployed at the point-of-care.   

During outbreaks of institutional respiratory diseases, RIDTs have in the past come in handy in as far as the identification of influenza is concerned.  Thanks to RIDTs authorities can act with speed to contain influenza – specifically via the advancement of prophylactic treatment to persons who despite presenting no flu symptoms have been exposed to virus (Peci, Winter, King, Blair, and Gubbay, 2014).  It should also be noted that as Peci, Winter, King, Blair, and Gubbay (2014) further point out, during outbreaks, RIDTs make it possible for “antivirals to be rapidly administered to patients” as one way of containing the said outbreaks (4310).    

There are various…

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…the patient is likely to be replicating virus to sufficient titers that antigen can be detected” (Atkinson and Mabey, 2019, p. 73).  There is also need to ensure that the collection of specimen is undertaken by health workers who are well-trained.   

Conclusion

In the final analysis, it should be noted that the utilization of RIDTs does have its own advantages and disadvantages.  In addition to being relatively simple to perform, the time frame within which RIDTs yield results is largely relevant from a clinical perspective.  However, as it has been pointed out in the text above, these tests have a significant potential to return false negative results.  This is more so the case during periods of high influenza activity.  Thus, in as much as RIDTs are beneficial and especially convenient in the identification of influenza during institutional disease outbreaks, we must be aware of the various limitations highlighted above so as…