2018: The Near Future of Flu

The influenza virus continues to be wildly successful at growing and spreading in people around the world because it slightly changes its structure from time to time to avoid our body’s detection systems. In particular, influenza periodically changes some of the proteins in the outer envelope of the virus to mislead our immune systems. We get fooled again and again. When someone with the flu coughs or sneezes, huge amounts of virus are spewed out in droplets that travel up to about 6 feet. Inhaling these droplets is the surest way for the virus to enter our bodies. It can also enter through landing on the eye. Beyond this, virus lands on surfaces within range, and we can bring it into our mouth, nose, or eyes with our own hands. If this year’s influenza virus doesn’t match our immune system’s “wanted” list, it enters our body without setting off the alarm. It attaches to cells that line the respiratory tract and uses their machinery to produce a legion of copies of itself. These spread up and down the respiratory tract and soon we are pumping out huge numbers of viral particles. Only several days later does our immune system sound the alarm, raise the temperature, and coordinate to expel the invaders. We shed virus for an average of 5 days or so – 1 or 2 of them before we feel sick. Each year there are an average of 3 million to 5 million severe cases of influenza globally. And 300,000 to 500,000 die from the flu – primarily the very yo...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Colds & Flu Cough Source Type: blogs