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Show IT'S A PAIN IN THE NECK The disease sounds like something from the pages of a science fiction book; an illness which faithfully recurs each fall and winter, is highly contagious and constantly con-stantly mutates from one from into another. Unfortunately, it is fact, J not fiction, and it's going on right now. Usually the disJ ease is not fatal. However, it is responsible for many lost days of work, school, and just plain rotten feeling days especially during the winter months We don't have any way of knowing the exact number of types of flu, as we see a new form every year or two. Over 40 strains have been identified since flu types were first categorized in 1920. Normally influenza is not too serious of an illness. The actual viral infection lasts between 7 and 10 days. However the uncomfortable symptoms usually associated associat-ed with is, such as fever, muscle aches, sore throat, lack of appetite, cough and headaches can linger up to three weeks. Coughing, particularly par-ticularly in persons who smoke or who have lung disease dis-ease is often prolonged. Each new form of flu has its own particular severity. The H-Swine 1, prominent in 1918-19, killed 548,000 Americans. It reappeared in 1975 and led to a national nation-al Immunization campaign. One particular characteristic charact-eristic found in all types of flu is that they are extremely extreme-ly dangerous to elderly individuals in-dividuals and those with heart or pulmonary disease. Once influenza has been contracted, the best things to do are stay home, take aspirin for muscle aches and fever (unless you are suable to tolerate aspirin) drinking to prevent dehydration. better by the end of tit first week, contact your physician phy-sician to make certain you haven't developed a cased bacterial pneumonia - far more serious disease which is sometimes proceeded proce-eded by Influenza. |