Rachel Spinella
Features Editor
Over the course of 2017-2018, the flu season in the United States had one of the highest total death rates since 2009, with a recorded total of 391 deaths. The Flu season usually goes from October through May, but can also be active during colder months too.
According to the Charlotte Observer, the flu season presently as of 2019 is not as bad as the previous year. Influenza, commonly known as the Flu, is an infectious illness that is caused by what is known as the Influenza virus. The symptoms can range from mild to severe.
The most common symptoms are; high fever, sore throat, muscle pains, runny nose, coughing, headache, sneezing and fatigue. In only a day or two after being exposed to the illness, symptoms are typically shown to start if you have contracted the virus and can last as long as a week.
There are three main groups consisting of the Influenza virus, such as; type A, B and C. The more serious and cause of outbreaks as well as disease is type A Influenza, it is also known as the avian flu or bird flu. As birds tend to be the most common or natural host for this type of virus.
According to Healthline, the following symptoms as stated above can sometimes resolve on their own with rest and plenty of fluids. But sometimes, if symptoms continue to persist for more than week without any improvement, be sure to schedule an appointment to the doctor. It can be quite rare, but sometimes the flu can be deadly.
. Type B tends to mutate much slower then that of type A. Though the two are different in that regard, both viruses are constantly changing and evolving creating new strains from one flu season to the next.
Lastly there is type C, which can cause the flu, but the symptoms are much milder as opposed to type A and B the more common and severe of three types of flu viruses.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, the FDA has approved a new drug to treat influenza as of Oct. 2018. The drug known as Baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza) fights against the major types of the influenza virus; A and B. The new drug is supposed to reduce duration of flu symptoms.
With the flu season still in effect, it’s best to be prepared. If these symptoms appear, be sure to get plenty of rest and fluids in order to let your body fight the infection on its own.
Categories: Features
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