The flu is now no surprise. We are so accustomed to it that we perceive the flu virus as a common cold.
Meanwhile, it was discovered relatively recently - in 1933, by English scientists. We started talking about the flu three years later (in 1936). Flu strains were isolated Smorodintsev. A little later, the name was given to the strains: "Influenza A virus." Four years later, the Americans discovered another species, the B virus. Soon, the influenza C virus appeared.
Three most yar
Of these epidemics, which captured almost the entire
globe, occur in 1889, 1918 (Spanish) and 1957 (Asian).
An infectious disease that spreads extremely quickly can turn into an epidemic in the shortest possible time, affecting not only individual cities or regions, but even countries.
However, despite such a high ability to spread rapidly, the influenza virus is unstable and easily dies during disinfection (disinfecting solutions, boiling). The peculiarity and, at the same time, the danger of influenza lies in its variability (or mutation). As soon as doctors find a vaccine against one species, another immediately appears.
Another serious scourge is high toxicity. As a rule, a person suffering from influenza has various kinds of complications, despite the immunity developed by the body. By the way, immunity extends precisely to the type of flu that has been transferred by the body (strictly specific), so there is no guarantee that the patient will not be subsequently affected by other strains. In other words, the immunity developed after virus A is powerless before virus B. Yes, and it acts for a short time.
For the transmission of the disease, there is no need for direct contact: it is enough to be near the carrier of the infection, especially if the latter is talking, sneezing, coughing.
Influenza virus, having penetrated the respiratory tract, multiplies rapidly, causing a runny nose for a start, and then an increase in temperature and a cough, affecting the vascular and nervous systems. A particularly high temperature is recorded in the early days (up to 39 degrees, and sometimes even higher). The febrile period lasts up to five days. At this time, it is painful to watch, dizzy and headache, vomiting is possible. All this is the effect of toxins.
Calm down on this nature, but it throws us new "surprises", the next of which is the swine flu virus, which belongs to the most common type A (causes especially large-scale and rapidly spreading epidemics). Why swine flu? Where does this name come from?
It turns out that initially this virus developed only in pigs. Variability and amazing “adaptability” allowed the virus to change its antigenic structure, become stronger, more active and switch easily to humans.
Symptoms are similar to the main ones listed, but appear in a more severe (strong) form. Even this virus has several modifications. The most common of these is the H1N1 influenza virus (in addition, the subtypes H3N2, H1N2, H3N1 are open).
The peculiarity of the virus is its antigenic properties: vaccination against it this year will turn out to be invalid next year.
A mutating virus does not allow predicting its modifications; therefore, it is also impossible to develop a vaccine in advance. It remains only to rely on the basic prevention of influenza - a healthy lifestyle, hardening and taking immunomodulating drugs.