Hello and Welcome Back!
This week I will be focusing on this year’s flu! I know it’s one of the worst seasons of the year, and I want to see how it has affected us and what we can do to limit its effects! According to the CDC, this year there have been an estimated 31 million cases of the flu in the US alone. There has also been an estimated max of 30,000 deaths. This is one of the largests mortality rates due to the flu that has been seen in the past decade. Personally, I think it is really easy to forget how deadly this disease can be. I am lucky enough to have a strong immunity. When I get the flu, it is definitely not pleasant, but for others it is far more serious and precautions have to be taken to stop that spread.
A lot of focus has been put on the coronavirus, but in actuality the flu virus has taken way more lives and our focus should not drift from that. According to an article posted in CNN, the flu becomes especially dangerous when a secondary infection comes into play. This means that the flu may not kill you, but it can weaken your immune system to the point that if you get pneumonia after, that may. This is a virus that changes every year due to antigenic drift. This means that its virulence factors (pathogens ability to overcome your body’s defenses) can be more intense as it drifts. This year, it is the same strain meaning an antigenic shift has not occured but again this season should not be taken lightly. There are many precautions that we can take to stop the spread of the flu and hopefully not get it ourselves.
First, everyone who it does not harm (due to other medical reasons or age) should get the flu vaccine! This is called herd immunity. It helps those who are more susceptible to getting it. Also, getting this vaccine reduces the risk up to 60%. I am not going to lie; before I was informed on the flu and its effects, I did not get the vaccine every year. Once I realized that it wasn’t primarily for myself but others who cannot get that benefit, my laziness and ideas about it changed. Another way to stop the spread is to wash your hands regularly. I do not mean splash them under water for 2 seconds and go about your day. I mean taking some time to lather in soap with warm water. Handsanitizer is also very effective! Covering your mouth and avoiding large crowds are also ways to prevent the spread of anything, especially the flu. I hope you take this into consideration when you go about your day!
Microbiology with Alicia 