| Don't be one of the 200000 people who goes to the hospital for the Flu every year. Learn about the influenza virus, and how to prevent and treat it. Related Videos: (Part 2 of 3): Flu Symptoms - Who's at Risk: www.youtube.com (Part 3 of 3) Treating the Flu: www.youtube.com TRANSCRIPT EXCERPT: Overview Each year, the flu is responsible for more than 200000 hospitalizations and 36000 deaths. Caused by the influenza virus, the flu spreads easily and attacks the respiratory system. In most cases, the flu is mild, causing a fever, aches and fatigue, but it can also lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and death. How the Flu Develops When a person infected with the flu coughs or sneezes, droplets containing the flu virus are released into the air. The flu spreads when a person inhales these droplets. The droplets can also land on surfaces and infect people who touch the surface and then their eyes, nose or mouth. Once inside the body, the flu virus attaches to cells in the airways, sinuses and lungs and replicates, leading to a larger infection. There are three types of influenza virus - types A, B and C. Type A causes most human cases of the flu, but can also infect animals, including birds and pigs. Some forms, or strains, of type A influenza are common in birds, causing avian flu, or in pigs, causing swine flu. Typically, these strains of influenza do not infect humans, but they can mutate to form a new virus that does infect humans. The immune system does not ... |