Expert advice on how to defend your family against an influenza attack.
By Eric Michael Santos
Anyone who's ever had the flu does not particularly relish the experience. Head throbs with pain. Muscles and joints hurt like hell. Throat feels like it's on fire, and the constant coughing just makes the pain worse. Of course, there's the fever, stuffy and runny nose, watery eyes and sometimes, if you're really lucky, even diarrhea to spice things up. To top it all, you have virtually no energy to do anything productive for at least several days.
Very contagious
Flu is caused by the influenza virus, which invades and multiplies in your respiratory tract. "There are three types of influenza viruses: A, B and C. Influenza types A and B are the primary causes of the disease and flu epidemics," says Dr. Vikki Carr delos Reyes, fellow epidemiologist at the Department of Health's National Epidemiology Center.
It's fairly easy to get infected. When a person with the flu coughs or sneezes, he sprays the air with thousands of droplets of respiratory secretions loaded with viruses. Or this person could, with his or her contaminated hands, touch objects and surfaces (door knob, telephone, computer keyboard, etc.). Breathe in the droplets, or touch the contaminated surface, and in one to four days, the oh-so-pleasant flu symptoms begin.
Dangerous complications
Like most viral respiratory infections (such as the common cold), the flu usually gets better on its own in about a week. "But the duration of the disease may vary depending on the viral strain and the immune status of the person," cautions delos Reyes. "That's why the elderly and those ?with chronic diseases---who have compromised immune systems---are considered high-risk groups for influenza."
Delos Reyes warns against serious flu complications, such as pneumonia and otitis media (middle ear infection).
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