Fighting the flu


“Hey Mister., have you heard about the big bad flu?”

“No son, I can’t say I have. Care to explain?”

“Sure, Mister. Well, let’s see. The flu is a respiratory illness caused by the influenza virus. When the influenza virus gets into the body, it moves into the respiratory tract. Once there, it binds to the surface of cells. The virus then replicates itself, and takes over the functions of the cell. The copies of the virus move to the cell membrane until the cell finally dies and releases them out into the body, where they go on to infect other cells. The flu weakens your immune system, making it harder to fight off infections.”

Tiara Williams

Tiara Williams

“So how do you get rid of this ‘flu’? And how will I know I have it?”

You can get the flu if someone around you who has the flu coughs or sneezes, or by touching places that have been contaminated. Flu viruses pass through the air and enter the body through the nose and mouth.

By the way, children are 2-3 times more likely to get the flu than adults and spread the disease the fastest.

The flu usually comes unexpected. Sometimes you don’t even know if you have the flu, because it starts as a little small headache then a cold, then it becomes worse, but sometimes the fever will break within 2-3 days and you would start to feel somewhat “better.

 

If you don’t want to catch the flu just following things guidelines:

  • Get vaccinated
  •  Wash your hands
  •  Stay home if you don’t feel well
  •  do the elbow cough
  •  avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth
  •  Clean and disinfect surfaces or objects.

 

All of these things can prevent you from getting the flu. The flu is a dangerous virus that sometimes kills people no matter how old or young you are.

 

Symptoms:  A 100oF or higher fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever),A cough and/or sore throat,A runny or stuffy nose, Headaches and/or body aches, Chills, Fatigue, Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea (most common in children).