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}) })(jQuery); </script> </head> <body class="post-template-default single single-post postid-16672 single-format-standard header-image header-full-width full-width-content genesis-breadcrumbs-hidden"><div class="site-container"><header class="site-header"><div class="wrap"><div class="title-area"><p class="site-title"><a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/" title="Thermo Fisher Scientific">Thermo Fisher Scientific</a></p><p class="site-description">Molecular testing content for clinical lab professionals and clinicians</p></div></div></header> <nav role="navigation" class="top-menu tm" style=""> <ul> <li><a href="#" aria-haspopup="true">Categories<div data-uw-styling-context="true"><b data-uw-styling-context="true"></b></div></a> <ul class="dropdown" aria-label="submenu"> <li><a href=" https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/science-and-education/">Science and education</a></li> <li><a href=" https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/product-news/">Product news</a></li> <li><a href=" https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/case-studies/">Case studies</a></li> <li><a href=" https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/perspectives/">Perspectives</a></li> <li><a href=" https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/events/">Events</a></li> <li><a href=" https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/news/">News</a></li> </ul> </li> </ul> </nav> <div class="site-inner"><div class="content-sidebar-wrap"><main class="content"><article class="post-16672 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail category-science-and-education tag-content-webinar tag-covid-19 tag-influenza tag-respiratory-testing entry" aria-label="Influenza: An Underestimated Threat"><header class="entry-header"><h1 class="entry-title">Influenza: An Underestimated Threat</h1> <script type="text/javascript"> function cc_toggle(id){ var s = document.getElementById(id); if(isHidden(s)){ s.style.display = 'inline'; } else { s.style.display = 'none'; } } function isHidden(element){ var style = window.getComputedStyle(element); return (style.display === 'none'); } </script> <span class="cc_sidebar"> <span class="cc_color_bar"> <span class="cc_home_icon"> <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/"><img src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/wp-content/themes/clinical-conversations/images/icon_home.png" alt="Clinical Conversation blog - home icon" /></a> </span> <span class="cc_post_category"> <a class='cc_colorbar_category' href='https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/category/science-and-education/'>Science and education</a> </span>  <span id="cc_post_readtime"> 2 mins. </span> <span class="cc_toggle_social"> <a href="javascript:cc_toggle('cc_jetpack_shares');">Sharing ▼</a> </span> <span class="cc_toggle"> <a href="javascript:cc_toggle('cc_metadata');">Details ▼</a> </span> </span> </span> <span id="cc_jetpack_shares"> <ul> <li><a target="_blank" href='https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermofisher.com%2Fblog%2Fclinical-conversations%2Finfluenza-an-underestimated-threat%2F&title=Influenza%3A+An+Underestimated+Threat'><img src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations//wp-content/themes/clinical-conversations/images/social_icons_linkedin.jpg" alt="Linked In sharing icon" /></a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href='https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermofisher.com%2Fblog%2Fclinical-conversations%2Finfluenza-an-underestimated-threat%2F'><img src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations//wp-content/themes/clinical-conversations/images/social_icons_facebook.jpg" alt="Facebook sharing icon" /></a></li> <li><a target="_blank" href='https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Influenza%3A+An+Underestimated+Threat&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermofisher.com%2Fblog%2Fclinical-conversations%2Finfluenza-an-underestimated-threat%2F&'><img src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations//wp-content/themes/clinical-conversations/images/social_icons_twitter.jpg" alt="Twitter sharing icon" /></a></li> <li><a href='mailto:?subject=You might be interested in Influenza: An Underestimated Threat from the Clinical Conversations blog.&body=You might be interested in Influenza: An Underestimated Threat from the Clinical Conversations blog at https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thermofisher.com%2Fblog%2Fclinical-conversations%2Finfluenza-an-underestimated-threat%2F'><img src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/wp-content/themes/clinical-conversations/images/icon_email.png" alt="Email sharing icon" /></a></li> </ul> </span> <span id="cc_metadata"> <span class="cc_dateline"> <span class="post-info-date">  14 Sep 2022 </span> || <span class="post-info-author">   By Manoj Gandhi, M.D., Ph.D. </span> </span> <span class="cc_shares"> <span class="cc_shares_subhead" >Shares: <span class="share_count">0</span> </span> </span> <span class="cc_version"> <span class="cc_version_subhead">Versions of this article</span> Original article. </span> <span class="cc_post_tags"> <span class="cc_post_tags_subhead">Tags</span> <a href='https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/tag/covid-19/'>COVID-19</a>, <a href='https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/tag/influenza/'>Influenza</a>, <a href='https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/tag/respiratory-testing/'>Respiratory testing</a> </span>   </span> <script type="text/javascript"> cc_toggle('cc_metadata'); cc_toggle('cc_jetpack_shares'); </script> </header><div class="entry-content"><p>SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has dominated news cycles for two years and counting, and rightly so. It has similarly conquered the priority list of healthcare providers, however, and that has had some unforeseen consequences. In particular, other respiratory infections have received reduced attention in the age of SARS-CoV-2, and that is a problem. Many of these conditions, including influenza and rhinoviruses, share symptoms with SARS-CoV-2, and some of them are responsible for past pandemics with exceptional human tolls. Losing sight of these conditions risks having one or more of them compound the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 crisis with a spike in infection numbers. It is critical that diagnostic labs and other front-facing parts of healthcare provision levy renewed attention on these conditions, and Dr. Ari Frankel, Chief Science Officer of Arkstone Medical Solutions, offers a sobering reminder of why.</p> <p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-16687" src="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2022/09/PG2725-PJT9139-COL021356-Respiratory-HPTO-hero-Global-F-1200x675-1.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="675" srcset="https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2022/09/PG2725-PJT9139-COL021356-Respiratory-HPTO-hero-Global-F-1200x675-1.jpg 1200w, https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2022/09/PG2725-PJT9139-COL021356-Respiratory-HPTO-hero-Global-F-1200x675-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2022/09/PG2725-PJT9139-COL021356-Respiratory-HPTO-hero-Global-F-1200x675-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://www.thermofisher.com/blog/clinical-conversations/wp-content/uploads/sites/18/2022/09/PG2725-PJT9139-COL021356-Respiratory-HPTO-hero-Global-F-1200x675-1-768x432.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /></p> <p>The best known and likely most dangerous of the other infections that share symptoms with COVID-19 is influenza, colloquially “the flu.” Influenza has its own treatment regimen, which means that distinguishing it from SARS-CoV-2 infection with multiplex PCR panels and other emerging tools is a critical step toward aiming medications accurately and avoiding the creation of resistant viruses and bacteria. Influenza also mutates and recombines rapidly, creating new strains so frequently that flu vaccines must be continually revised and renewed. The worst influenza outbreak in the world was the 1918 flu that killed nearly 50 million people around the world and modern strains still have an annual death toll in the thousands, so the flu is no trifling matter even in a world still facing SARS-CoV-2.</p> <p><iframe title="Influenza: an underestimated threat (teaser)" width="760" height="428" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/13NE0iU278k?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p>In this webinar, Dr. Frankel goes over the biology, epidemiology, basic genetics, and treatment of influenza, and how critical it is that diagnostic laboratories take it seriously even if SARS-CoV-2 should remain a top priority. By using multiplex PCR panels that can distinguish between SARS-CoV-2, various influenza strains, and other respiratory viruses, diagnostic laboratories can help doctors use the right treatment for the right virus and, just as importantly, avoid using antibiotics, which are only effective against bacteria, against viruses at all. Dr. Frankel’s webinar is an important reminder that, no matter how much it might feel that way, the world did not stop spinning when SARS-CoV-2 turned it upside down, and staying ahead of new challenges means remaining vigilant against other viral threats.</p> <p>Sign up to watch Dr. Frankel’s webinar <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/global/forms/life-science/influenza-underestimated-threat.html">here</a>.</p>  </div></article></main></div></div><footer class="site-footer"><div class="wrap"><div class="creds"><p class="footer-links"><a href="https://corporate.thermofisher.com/en/footer/privacy-statement.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Privacy Statement</a><a href="https://corporate.thermofisher.com/en/footer/terms-and-conditions.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Terms & Conditions</a><a href="/blog/locations/">Locations</a><a href="/blog/sitemap/">Sitemap</a></p><p>© 2024 <a href="https://www.thermofisher.com">Thermo Fisher Scientific</a>. 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