Influenza, also known as the flu, is a virus, an infection. Flu can affect your lungs, throat, and nose. Influenza can be mistaken as just a common fever, but it is not. According to Mayo Clinic, more often than not, influenza is hidden.
“Influenza is a contagious viral respiratory illness that infects the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs.” Nurse Kala Brown said, “It is caused by influenza viruses and spreads easily from person to person.”
Influenza is commonly spread through coughing and sneezing. However, people may also get it by touching a surface that has it, or breathing it in. When touching a contaminated surface it is important to wash your hands and keep it away from your face. According to the National Travel Health Network, influenza appears throughout the world and spreads easily between people. Someone who travels may bring it back with them.
“I am pretty positive it was from my friend because she kept coughing on me and I did not think anything of it because of my strong immune system,” freshman Khloe Smith, a recently sick student, said. “The longest I had it was two weeks.”
Getting Influenza may not affect everyone the same, although symptoms and risks can be deadly. According to Cleveland Clinic, an estimated 20,000-50,000 people have died from the flu and around 400,000 are hospitalized each year. People who have asthma, lung disease, and are under the age of five or over the age of sixty-five are at biggest risk. Pregnant women are also at risk when they have the flu.
“I had a really sore throat and I was throwing up a lot when I got the flu,” freshman Amelia House said. “I did not have much of a fever but I did have a lot of shakiness and chills. Having influenza is not a good experience, it has to be one of the worst feelings I have ever had. It is like you are bed ridden the entire day and you just do not feel good.”
Influenza can be treated with antivirals, which shorten the amount of time being sick. On the other hand they are less likely to work two days after the symptoms. Some medications people may take to get rid of the flu are Peramivir, Zanamivir, and Oseltamivir. All of which are a type of antiviral, Cleveland Clinic notes. When getting tested for influenza, doctors may put a long stick (swab) in the patient’s nose. Test results take a few minutes or may be sent to a lab.
“I took a lot of Mucinex, cough, and nausea medicine so that I could just relax more and get some rest,” House said. “There is not very much you can do to prevent it other than keep your immune system up, but I just took a lot of medicine to calm down the symptoms.”
Ways to prevent getting the flu is by getting the yearly flu vaccination. You can get it as a shot or it sprayed up your nose. Cleveland Clinic notes that other ways to prevent this are washing your hands before you eat, avoid touching your face, wearing a mask, and covering your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing. Sharing food, utensils, and drinks can also cause spreading.
“Influenza spreads mainly through respiratory droplets when someone who is infected coughs, sneezes, or talks,” Brown said, “You can also get the flu by touching surfaces that have the virus on them, like desks, phones, or doorknobs, and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.”
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that an estimated nine and a half million to 51 million people end up getting the flu, around one hundred twenty thousand to seven hundred ten thousand people have been hospitalized, and six thousand to fifty two thousand have died between the years of 2010 and 2025. This goes to show how common the flu truly is.
“I do not get it that much because I have a strong immune system, but I feel like because there were so many people that had it around school that it just came into me,” Khloe said. “Mainly a lot of people have it during chill months, like January, because the seasons are changing.”