Flu or influenza is a viral infection, caused by the influenza virus.

While their are

some types of mild influenza illness, others can become very ill.
There are varieties of Influenza virus all over the world, you can be infected by
one of them, or more, based on your immune system or where you are exposed.
The influenza virus is a simple creature, but with a complicated life cycle. it can
survive as a crystal on the soil, air, water or even your air conditioner. Once it
reaches your body, especially your respiratory tract, their is a chance you will be
infected.
Influenza is self-limited disease, if you are in your best health, are well rested,
well nourished and hydrated, your body will heal by itself. Although influenza has
a long history of causing mortality in the human population. In the range of
3,000 to 49,000 deaths every year are linked to flu infection, while 200,000
people are hospitalised each year in the United States.
Mortality is highest in infants and elderly. Influenza infects animals, too. Influenza
viruses are actually species-specific, this means that it will only spread through
the same species. But new virus strains develop, and may spread from other
animals to humans. Two exmples are, Avian Influenza which refers to the
Influenza virus infection that primarily infects birds and Swine Influenza, which
refers to infections from a strain of influenza derived from pigs.
If you live in a tropical country, infection can occur throughout the year. For
people who live In the northern world, infection mostly occurs in early autumn
and winter, and more in mid February. The duration and severity of the annual
epidemics vary, based on which virus subtype is involved.
Influenza is more likely occur in a person with weakened immune system. Flu
virus may enter your body through your nose or mouth. Infection in your nose
will cause runny nose or Acute Rhinitis. Acute rhinitis is the inflammation of your
nose, causing your nose to produce near continuous discharge. First phase of
Acute rhinitis is watery discharge, which can be accompanied by red and watery
eyes as well. The discharge is a result of your immune systems fight with the
virus. As the disease continues, the discharge will get thicker and appear to be
white, yellow or green.
If the infection starts in your mouth, you will develop Acute Pharyngitis. Acute
Pharyngitis is the inflammation inside your mouth, behind your tongue. There are
several organs which are responsible for fighting the infection, they are called
Ring of Waldeyer. The ring of Waldeyer is a pack of organs which form a ring
shape. Inflammation of this site will cause a sore throat, dry mouth or loss of
your appetite. You can have one of these conditions, or both, called Acute RhinoPharyngitis.
Flu can cause mild to moderate fever, including muscle aches, soreness and
headache. It normally enters your body through the upper respiratory tract. The
mucus
membrane of your mouth or nose, eyes, or even ear could provide a bridge
through which the influenza virus infection can enter your body. the virus
primarily infects the respiratory tract, so it starts with a cough or other
respiratory symptoms. As the infection evolves, the symptoms may get worse.
You may begin with a dry cough, but when you start having nasal discharge, your
cough starts producing the same discharge, together with a headache and
moderate to severe fever. Fever is present among most people infected with
influenza, you can develop low fever in range of 100 degree Fahrenheit or high

fever, 104 degrees Fahrenheit or more. In day 3 to 5, you will feel a sore throat,
and this is when most people seek for medical attention.
From the day your throat feels uncomfortable, you may feel myalgia or muscle
aches. You may need medication to reduce your body tempereature before it
gets too high. Flu symptoms are not limited to the respiratory tract, you may
have diarrhea or nausea but this is more common among children and those with
weakened immune systems.
As the disease spreads to other parts of your body, Influenza can cause another
condition, its called influenza-associated pneumonia. There are several diseases
which can occur as a complication of Influenza but commonly, you only develop
pneumonia if you dont take Influenza seriously. Actually, Pneumonia is the most
common infection to cause hospitalisation in the United States. Pneumonia is an
inflammation of your Lungs. Penumonia is an infection that can make you very
sick and even kill. Influenza-associated pneumonia develops after you breathe
the virus and germs into your lungs. When it reaches the lung, your bodies
immune system will try protecting you by activating the inflammation process.
The virus may start this process, and then other germs or fungal infections could
take hold and make the infection worse. The infection starts in the air sacs of one
or both lungs. Pneumonia can range in seriousness from a mild to a life
threatening condition. Again, it is most serious in infants and young children,
older people and people with underlying diseases, like Diabetes, Asthma, AIDS,
Autoimmune, etc.
You may start thinking about Pneumonia when you have had Flu for more than a
month. There are several factors that make you more susceptible to pneumonia.
Pneumonia is more likely occur when your immune system is weak, the
microorganism is very strong or the infection enters your lung in large amounts,
and your body fails to filter it and then you breathe it into your lungs. You may
have Pneumonia, if you cough frequently, run a fever, and have dificulty
breathing. Most healthy people will be able to recover from this condition in one
to three weeks. However, if you have a serious case of pneumonia then it can
lead to a life-threatening condition; you need to see your doctor immediately.
diagnosis of pneumonia may involve a Chest X-Ray, Blood test, Septum test and
Bronchoscopy.
There are numberous difficulties in the treatment and prevention of influenza,
contributing to the constant threat of the Flu Virus; Rapid mutability, genomic
reassortment and vulnerable population groups. The good news, scientists have
developed a vaccine to protect against the Flu Virus. Although its expensive, you
may need to consider buying it before you take a trip to Asia or the Middle East.