Disease name influenza

Thedisease name influenza was coined from a couple of words namely an Italian word – influence and Latin word – influentia. The other name of this disease is called as ‘flu’ in short form.

Influenza type A and B induce pandemic. However A is more severe than B. B is seen at any time in an year but A happens to be visible only during the start of spring and winter. There are subtypes associated with A but B does not have subtypes. B infects mamals while A infects birds, humans and animals

Influenza usually starts with common cold, sore throat and fever. High fever can be seen. You would feel a sense of fatigue gobbling you then. You might also experience headache, muscle aches too. Diarrhea and vomiting are rare.

Getting influenza twice is rare though its very much possible. When you get affected by influenza, it would be because of a particular viral strain that has got into your body. As you recover, you tend to develop antibodies that help in fighting against the same strain when it tries to invade your body the next time. But, mutations and anomalies happen when viruses reproduce. So you have the possibility of getting infected with a mutated form the next time.

Diarrhea and nausea generally are not the primary symptoms associated with influenza though they are seen in some cases. Usually they are more pronounced in case of infants affected by flu.

If a person gets affected by flu, he develops immunity to the strain of virus. so it is less likely that he develops the same flu again within a veery short gap. However, a mutated virus can cause flu in the same person within a short time frame too.

A and B can infect a person at a time though this is really a rare occurance. B is usually seen at any time within a year but, A is seen commonly while the winter and spring starts in a year.

Once you get infected with an influenza virus, you develop immunity to fight with it. So the virus does not affect you again. However, you can get influenza a couple of times within a few years time frame. Getting infected by different strains however is possible within the same year and this is not surely improbable.

Work done by L.P. Tantcheva and his team at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences have tested the influence of vitamin c and vitamin E on mice for influenza. They have reported that these ameliorate the oxidative damage that occurs during flu. As such, they are seen to be the natural ways of curing flu.

In the year 1933, the very first human infection of the influenza diseasse was reported by the scientists Patrick Laidrow,Wilson Smith and Christopher Andrews,. However J.S. Koen, Robert Shope/ McBryde and Herodotus have also probed into the flu disease in 1918, 1920s and 2400 years ago respectively.