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Flu's
effects are much more severe and last longer
than those of the cold. Recovery takes about
one to two weeks. Flu symptoms can be
deadly, especially for the weak, old or
chronically ill.
Some
flu pandemics have
killed millions of people.
Most
people who get the influenza will recover in one
to two weeks, but others will develop
life-threatening complications (such as
pneumonia). Millions of people in the United
States (about 10% to 20% of U.S. residents)
are infected with influenza each year.
An
average of about 36,000 people per year in
the United States die from influenza, and
114,000 per year are admitted to a hospital
as a result of influenza. Even healthy
people can be affected, and serious problems
from influenza can happen at any age. People
age 65 years and older, people of any age
with chronic medical conditions, and very
young children are more likely to get
complications from influenza. Pneumonia,
bronchitis, sinus, and ear infections are
four examples of such complications.
Symptoms
of the flu can make chronic health problems
worse. For example, people with
asthma may
experience asthma attacks while they have
the flu, and people with
chronic congestive
heart failure may have worsening of this
condition that is triggered by the flu.
Variability of
Flu
Influenza
is an extremely variable disease; similar
viruses are found in pigs and domestic fowl.
In areas where there are high concentrations
of humans, pigs and birds in close
proximity, such as parts of Asia,
simultaneous infections across species
enable genetic material to be exchanged
between the various strains of flu. This
appears to be the principal method by which
new infectious strains arise. It is believed
that sooner or later, a recombination may
occur to produce a strain as lethal as the
1918 virus. In late 1997, a new strain of
avian influenza (also known as
bird flu)
originating from chickens infected 18 people
in Hong Kong, of whom 6 died.
This strain
did not appear to be readily transmissible
from human to human, but such a high
mortality rate, and the possibility of a
further recombination to make it more
infectious, meant that the risk was
considered so great that all domestic
poultry in Hong Kong was slaughtered.
Avian
influenza transmissible to humans resurfaced
in January 2004 in Cambodia, Vietnam, and
Thailand.
For any type of
influenza
your immune system is your
best defense
force. Strengthen your immune system
with Transfer
Factor.
History of the
Flu
There were
several serious outbreaks of the Flu
in the 20th century. The most famous (and
the most lethal) was the Spanish Flu
pandemic (type A influenza, H1N1 strain),
which lasted from 1918 to 1919 and is
believed to have killed more people in total
than World War I. Lesser flu
pandemics included the 1957 Asian Flu (type
A influenza, H2N2 strain) and the 1968 Hong Kong
Flu
(type A influenza, H3N2 strain).
Although
there were scares in New Jersey in 1976 (the
Swine Flu), worldwide in 1977 (the Russian
Flu), and in Hong Kong in 1997 (Avian
influenza), there have been no major
pandemics subsequent to the 1968 infection.
Increased immunity from antibodies and the
development of flu vaccines have limited the
spread of the virus and so far prevented any
further pandemics.
Flu Season
Influenza
reaches peak prevalence in winter, and
because the Northern and Southern Hemisphere
have winter at different times of the year
there are actually two flu seasons each
year. Hope-Simpson (1981) observed that
influenza outbreaks are globally ubiquitous
and consistently occur six months following
the time of maximum solar radiation in an
area. Therefore the World Health
Organization makes two vaccine formulations
every year, one for the Northern and one for
the Southern Hemisphere.
While most
influenza outbreaks in the Northern
Hemisphere tend to peak in January or
February, not all do. For example, the
influenza pandemic of 1918 and 1919 reached
peak virulence during late spring and summer
worldwide, and not until October in the US.
It remains unclear why outbreaks of the
flu
occur seasonally rather than uniformly
throughout the year. One possible
explanation is that, because people are
indoors more often during the winter, they
are in close contact more often and this is
enough to trigger the outbreak. Another is
that the cold weakens the
immune system;
however, the virus is contracted in a warm
indoor environment in which it can thrive.
It is
possible to get vaccinated against
influenza, however,
due to the high
mutability of the virus a particular flu
vaccine formulation usually only works for
about a year. The World Health Organization
co-ordinates the contents of the vaccine
each year to contain the most likely strains
of the virus to attack the next year. The
flu vaccine is usually recommended for
anyone in a high-risk group who would be
likely to suffer complications from
influenza.
For any type of
influenza
your immune system is your best defense
force. Strengthen your immune system
with Transfer
Factor.
Stomach
Flu and Stomach
Flu Symptoms
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