Flu Season

Every year, catching the flu seems inevitable. With nearly three million cases annually, a good percentage of the population is affected. Symptoms of the flu include pain in the muscles, chills, cough, congestion, nausea, sore throat, and more. People typically get over these frustrating symptoms within a week or so. For most, the flu is a nuisance. However, in 2018, the flu turned deadly.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "the flu has claimed the lives of at least 37 children in the United States" (cnn.com). People do not normally die from the flu, but you are more susceptible if you have an underlying illness. It it more common for the flu to affect older people, around age sixty. These deaths are not totally attributed to the flu - pneumonia is what can kill. CNN comments "The usual flu death is a person who gets influenza, gets all that inflammation in their chest, and then has the complication of pneumonia," explained Schaffner, who added that this is a "long, drawn-out process."

Although the flu is not totally preventable, the CDC has three suggestions: get a flu vaccine, take preventative actions, and take antiviral drugs if prescribed by a doctor. By practicing these three things, your chances of getting the flu decrease significantly.

Sources:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/health/how-flu-kills/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm