Flu

The flu is a medical condition that is caused by a virus called H. Influenzae. Antibiotic medications do not work for this medical condition because antibiotic medications are rendered useless when the causative factor is a virus. Patients who are diagnosed to be having the flu exhibit symptoms such as fever, chills, colds, cough, body malaise, and loss of appetite. There are many different strains of the flu virus and each strain has different characteristic signs and symptoms.

The Prevalence of the Flu Virus

Prevalence refers to the number of reported incidences caused by a medical condition. In particular, the flu virus is now a pandemic which means that it is a global epidemic. It already affects a great number of people in a specified time all over the world.

Different Strains

As mentioned, the flu has several different strains. One strain that has grown popular recently is the Avian Influenza. This type of influenza is also popularly known as the Bird Flu. For this strain, the virus is carried by birds. Many people who have been affected by this medical condition were those that were exposed to infected birds such as bird or chicken handlers. After much research and study, it was discovered that the causative factor for the Bird Flu was the h5n1 virus.

Preventive Measures

For the Bird Flu, many preventive measures were taken. First off, chicken and bird handlers were given prophylaxis shots called vaccine. Vaccines are one type of protection from the flu and are composed of weakened virus. Once the weakened virus is exposed to the human body's system, the human body reacts by forming antigens that help get rid of the virus. Once the human body is exposed to the same virus again, the human body is already equipped with antigens that can help prevent the disease from occurring.

Another preventive measure for the Bird Flu was to isolate known infected birds. These birds are isolated from uninfected birds to decrease the chance of cross-contamination and to localize infection. This also prevents strengthening or mutation of the virus that can cause another medical strain to develop.