Make Entry -- Become an Editor -- Most Popular: (10, 25, 50, 75, 100)

   Help

Para-influenza

Parainfluenza viruses, or HPIVs, are paramyxoviruses that have similar symptoms and transmissions to influenzas. HPIV is the second most common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in young children, causing between 30% and 40% of all acute respiratory infections in children and infants including common cold combined with fever, croup, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. There are four different major strains of HPIV, each associated with different presentations of parainfluenza.

Like the cold, parainfluenza can reinfect humans throughout life, and it can lead to serious complications in certain immunocompromized and elderly people. Parainfluenza has a seasonal and interactive pattern of outbreak, with each disease following distinct annual or biannual patterns that seem to be affected by the patterns of the other strains.

The source of most parainfluenza is direct contact with respiratory secretions of an infected person; doorknobs are a common place. Children in daycare centers often pass the disease easily to one another. The transmission of parainfluenza virus is relatively simple to prevent; they last only a few hours in an open environment and can be inactivated with soap and water.

Web Resources On Para-influenza

Human Parainfluenza Viruses
Parainfluenza Viruses

Book Resources On Para-influenza

The Official Parent's Sourcebook on Human Parainfluenza Viruses by Icon Health Publications
The Paramyxoviruses by David W. Kingsbury

Site Maps: Most Recent | Clusters | Browse
New: Graduate Student Job Opportunity