Important Facts About The Flu

by Ethan Miller

The flu is a respiratory infection, despite the fact that it causes full body pain, digestive upsets, and headaches. The flu can sweep through entire communities in a matter of days, moving through schools, work places, and shopping centers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 5 to 20 percent of Americans are infected with the flu during each flu season, typically from November to March. Children are two to three times more likely than adults to become ill.

The CDC estimates that 200,000 people are hospitalized each year and about 36,000 people die from the flu and its complication.

The danger of the flu is that it spreads to epidemic proportions within days, and it mutates, making it difficult to prevent. Each strain of flu reacts differently in the body, making it impossible to predict how the next epidemic will hit society.

The government is now encouraging people to cough into their upper arm, or sleeve, if they do not have a tissue. They should also wipe their hands after they cough. This prevents the spread of the disease between people working in close proximity of each other.

Hand washing needs to be done with a soap based, or alcohol based hand cleaner. The new bacterial cleaners may not work unless they are alcohol based.

The elderly, newborn babies, and people with certain chronic illnesses, however, the flu and its complications can be life-threatening. The danger caused by an out-break dependsd on the virus strain.

Flu is caused by a variety of influenza viruses. Researchers identified the first strains in the 1930s. They classify influenza viruses into types A, B, and C.

* Type A is the most common and causes the serious epidemics. * Type B outbreaks can cause epidemics, but the symptoms are milder than those in type A. * Type C viruses, has never been connected with an epidemic.

There is no cure for the flu. The only plan of action is plenty of bed rest, drinking fluids, and taking medications that alleviate the symptoms.

This is followed by careful attention to symptoms. The flu can turn into a bacterial infection, resulting in pneumonia, within hours. It is important to remember that complications can appear after the patient starts to feel better.

Complications include a high fever, shaking, chills, chest pains, and may include vomiting and diarrhea. A doctor should be consulted if coughing produces a yellow-green mucus, especially if it is expectorated from the body. This means, that it is coughed hard from the body with force, sending it several feet away - if the patient did not have a tissue.

It is important to remember that influenza A virus is resistant to Rimantadine and amantadine. The CDC recommends that you not take these medicines to treat the flu. Avoid giving aspirin to children and adolescents with the flu, and do not take antibiotics.

IF a pandemic breaks out, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ to learn the news, and learn what you can do to protect yourself and your family. This site tracks the all forms of the flu, and has tutorials to help people protect themselves in case of a flu pandemic.

About the Author
Ethan Miller advises on health issues from his web site at http://asthmaroom.com He invites you to receive his FREE health information guide here http://www.lowcarbrescue.com