Influenza

Influenza, or “flu”, is not usually a serious disease unless it is complicated by secondary viral infection. When bacteria become involved, or when the flu virus spreads to the lungs, the condition may be lethal, particularly for the very young, the elderly, and those with heart or respiratory disease. The flu has killed more than a million Americans in the last twenty years?

According to recent research, the flu virus is “packaged” in a distinct way. In other viruses the strands of nucleic acid are strong together in one line, but in flu virus the strands are in eight separate pieces, which makes it easier for a strand to become detached and change places with a strand from another virus. Thus, the genetic information in the virus can change rapidly. Not surprisingly, there are not only three major varieties of flu virus. A (the most virulent), B, and C, but numerous changing strain do not necessary have immunity against any other.

There is a fascinating possibility that flu viruses may actually “go south for the summer”! Sometime at the end of one winter epidemic, there is a cluster of flu cases caused not by the viral strain in that epidemic, but by another strain, this second strain often turns out to be the one that will cause the epidemic of the next winter. What happens to this new strain of viruses over the summer? One researcher believes they may actually migrate to another geographic location (possibly in the Southern Hemisphere), and return later.

How to prevent from flu?

• There are vaccines against specific strains of flu virus, but they are not effective against other strains. Nevertheless, people over sixty-five, pregnant women, and people with chronic cardiovascular disease and certain other disease should be vaccinated periodically, so individuals must be revaccinated each year.
• Beyond that, at this point, you can only take the precautions you would take against colds. Stay away from people with the disease, and they try to keep your resistance up.
• Eventually, scientists may be able to offer more in the way of concrete help. Experiments are currently under way with two new drug, amantadine and rimantadine, that may have some effectiveness. A vaccine that will give a longer period of immunity is also being worked on.

My Experience:

When I am going for pilgrimage, I have vaccinated for flu, this because of certain flu in Arab can’t be cured and every people should have this vaccinated. This vaccine is not preventing from other kind of flu or ordinary flu. Our pilgrimage groups become have flu there as averages. But after I am home Alhamdullilah never get heavy cough and flu for about 2 years, the last flu I got just for 1 day. Is this because of vaccinated of certain kind of flu? I don’t know yet.