I was reading a storybook named "A lost love" by novella English some days ago. There I know how fast Flu can kill, to me I don't really know that it is that a fast killer until I read the novel. Even at times most of us can't identify the differences between flu and a mere cold.
In this post, I will be going deep into it as you know me to be an incoming physiologist. I will be examining just six sub-topics under Flu;
- The meaning of flu
- Differences between Flu and Cold
- Symptoms of Flu
- Some risk factors of Flu
- Prevention of Flu
- Treatments of Flu
1. THE MEANING OF FLU
Flu can be otherwise called INFLUENZA; it is a contagious infection that affect the respiratory unit of the body, it is caused by viruses. The viruses enter the body through air by using the nose or the mouth as a passage after which they are spread by coughs and sneezes of an infected person.
The viruses that spread this same Flu belongs to the family of Orthomyxoviridae, they possesses a single-stranded RNA genome and they are grouped into 4 types which are;
- Influenza A
- Influenza B
- Influenza C
- Influenza D
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FLU AND COLD
| SYMPTOMS | FLU | COLD |
|---|---|---|
| Headache | Occur Sometimes | Occurrence is so Rare |
| Cough | Common and could be severe | Mild to moderate;Hacking cough |
| Fever | It usually last for 3-5 days | It is so rare |
| Aches | It occur often and normally severe | Slightly occur |
| Weakness | Usual occur | Occur sometimes |
| Stuffy nose | Occur sometimes | Commonly occur |
TYPES OF FLU
Although I mentioned the types in the Introduction/ meaning of flu but now I am going to mention and talk on them;(Note; there are some of this viruses that resembles each other) I will talk on the two at once and then talk about their differences;
These two Influenza resemble each other in the sense that they causes of seasonal epidemics of disease during the winter period, and are spread by people who are infected. They also have 8 RNA segments and 10 proteins.
| Influenza A | Influenza B |
|---|---|
| It is found both in human and animals | It is only found in human |
| Human body act as the host | Wild bird normally act as the hosts |
| They are divided into sub-types | They are not sub-divided |
| This is the most severe | This is less severe |
This type of Influenza viruses are found human and Pigs, they have 7 RNA segments and 9 proteins . The most common symptoms of Influenza C is fever, cough and rhinorrhea.
According to the world health organization this type of Influenza primarily affects animal but the cause to human has not been known.
SYMPTOMS OF FLU
- Headache
- Cough
- Fever
- Aches
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Stuffy nose
- Vomiting
PREVENTION'S OF FLU
- To prevent Flu, you only need to dedicate your time because CDC (centers for disease control ) has provided vaccines to everyone. it is just for you to find a way of taking the vaccines for at least twice in a year.
- Make sure you take antiviral drug in addition to the symptomatic treatment you are been given
- Children under 6 months to 5 years should be given annual vaccination
- Pregnant women should not hesitate to take the vaccination (Note; This is the cause of Nadia's death in the story book Here )
TREATMENT OF FLU
The following antiviral drugs are recommended for the treatment of Flu by CDC;
- Oseltamivir
- Peramivir
- Zanamivir
Hope you all enjoy today topic and I believe you should now be able to differentiate between Flu and other diseases/Illness
I dont know if you may be doubting me or you might even think I just say rubbish. You know what, I have references for all I just said from CDC, WHO, VIROLOGIST BLOG.
Images source: First Image Symptoms of Influenza 1st treatment image 2nd treatment image
You can read all I posted further if you don't believe, here are my references;
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/types.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Racaniello
http://www.virology.ws/2009/09/22/the-a-b-and-c-of-influenza-virus/
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/advanced-reading-types-of-flu-viruses#1
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/15107.php
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/consumer/symptoms.htm
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/21/2/14-1449_article
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/consumer/prevention.htm
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160901140433.htm
https://medlineplus.gov/flu.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenzavirus_C
https://academic.oup.com/jid/article/193/9/1229/1012555
http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(seasonal)
