Influenza

What is Influenza?

Influenza is a contagious disease that is also known as the grippe or the flu. Influenza is a sharp viral infection which is characterized by swelling of the respiratory zone and by muscular pain, fever, prostration, and chills.


Types of Influenza

There is the Influenza A, B, and C virus. The influenza A virus is the avian influenza, which can be known as the bird flu. The avian influenza virus has been known to cause symptoms just like the flu such as cough, and fever. The influenza B virus is called Haemophilus influenza and it is a bacterium which is highly contagious. It is known to cause pneumonia, meningitis, cellulitis, epiglottitis, pericarditis, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and empyema. Before the Hib vaccines, this disease was the most common cause of life threatening infections for children under five years of age. Five percent of these cases were fatal.


Causes

The virus is caused by an RNA disease which belongs to the orthomyxoviridae family. The disease could be passes from one person to another if you inhale a respiratory drop from a person who has the disease or by indirect contact.


Symptoms

-fatigue

-headaches

-weakness

-sneezing

-muscle aches

-sore throat

-irritated eyes

-extreme coldness

-dry cough

-nasal congestion

-and a fever which is 101 to 102 degrees.


Treatments

 The home treatment for Influenza is that a person who has it should drink one full glass of juice or water every hour. Ibuprofen or Tylenol can lighten muscle and head aches. The person should also get bed rest. Zanamivir, ribavirin, rimantadine, oseltamivir, and amantadine, are antiviral treatments which have been verified helpful in Influenza. Most of these treatments are expensive.


The New Threat

The new Avian Influenza threat of 2005 is due to the H5N1 virus. It is likely that the disease will in time become adapted and be able to spread from person to person. It will do this by recombining with a form that is human-adapted either in a pig or human host. If this does end up happening an epidemic may be unavoidable. Governments are currently stockpiling on anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu, which can diminish the effects of the disease.

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