Three Types of Flu
Out of the different types of influenza virus, which are types A, B, and C, type A flu virus is the worst to get. Type A influenza has both respiratory and constitutional symptoms, which can be heavily severe to its host. In addition, (TYPE A) is a seasonal epidemic, which causes thousands of deaths yearly. Although there is a vaccine for it, its mutation rates are the highest compared to (TYPE B) and (TYPE C). This mutation rate can cause it to evolve in such a way that humanity’s current immunity is zero to the new mutations. These novel mutations can cause huge problems, such as pandemics, which ultimately result in more cases and deaths. In comparison to types B and C, type A influenza virus is the most dangerous.
| TYPES | SYMPTOMS | EPIDEMIC | VACCINE | GENETIC DRIFT | GENETIC SHIFT | PANDEMIC | AFFECTS ANIMALS |
| A | Respiratory/Constitutional | Yes | Yes | Yes (Mutation Rate is Highest) | Yes | Yes | Yes (Birds, Pigs, Dogs, Horses) |
| B | Respiratory/Constitutional | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| C | Usually Respiratory | No | No | Yes (Mutation Rate is Lowest) | No | Yes | Yes (Pigs, Dogs) |
Testing for the Flu
A person should test for the flu when symptoms (RESPIRATORY/CONSTITUTIONAL) are abrupt, and which last for about 3-7 days. The flu is contagious, and could start to spread as soon as one day before the start of symptoms.The flu can be tested for in many ways, but the most common is to take a rapid test. However, testing for the flu is only considered after it is sure that the suspect signs of flu are evident. A rapid test includes taking a nasal swab which reaches the back of the throat, with entry through the nose, in order to reach actual cells, and not mucus. There is no certain age restriction for the flu test, as it is highly recommended for the high-risk groups (children, elders, immunocompromised) to take it, as soon as signs appear. The pros of this rapid test, is that it is quick in bringing test results back (15-30 minutes, or even less than 15 minutes). In addition, the rapid test can identify either Flu A or B, or both. The cons however, is that it does not provide a true number of H (HEMAGGLUTININ) and N (NEURAMINIDASE) cells. Furthermore, there is no way to tell if a flu strain is from a previous vaccine, or fresh. The last con is that it is not perfect. In fact, two cases of false positive and false negative may occur. False negative could provide a negative flu test, but in reality it is positive, and vice versa. There is no cure for the flu, and approximately 25,000 to 69,000 people die from the flu each year.
Antiviral Drugs for the Flu
For the influenza virus, there are various types of antiviral drugs. You cannot treat a virus with antibiotics, however, for the special case of viruses, antiviral drugs exist. For the flu specifically, these include: (AMANTADINE), (RIMANTADINE), (OSELTAMIVIR), and (ZANAMIVIR). Amantadine and Rimantadine block the (M2) protein in the flu virus, which is essential for entry and replication of the virus. Unfortunately, the virus has gained a resistance against these drugs, rendering them ineffective. On the other hand, Oseltamivir and Zanamivir, pill and powders respectively, block the neuraminidase on the virus. In addition, these antiviral drugs are age restricted. For high risk patients, the immunocompromised, and the severely ill/hospitalized, treatment starts is recommended within 2 days, and treatment continues for 5 days. For high risk patients in terms of prevention, treatment start is recommended within 2 days. If that patient has had a vaccine, 2 weeks for treatment, if the patient has not had a vaccine, treatment is throughout for 1 week after exposure. In the case of an outbreak, there is no time table for treatment, just as long as it is soon as possible. In addition, treatment is given throughout the course of the outbreak, and after 1 week of the last case.
Genetic Shift in the Flu
In the unprecedented case of two bodies of the influenza virus attacking the same cell, it could mean disastrous effects on the host. The primary goal of the flu virus is to attack and invade a cell, with the intentions of making the cell into a virus factory, which makes replicas of itself. (GENETIC SHIFT) affects Type A flu viruses by mixing the genetic material to create new types. The two Type A viruses, which affected the same cell, mixed to result in new types of viruses. These novel types can be harder to resist, harder to recover from, and stronger. The genetic shifting of these viruses may occur between people to people, or even people to animals.
Credit: Khan Academy. All entries are written by Jadon-Sean Sobejana
