One of the more common viral infections in humans is the influenza virus. Influenza, commonly known as the flu infects the respiratory tract of humans, although it can sometimes be associated with stomach flu symptoms, it is not the case because the stomach is not affected by the influenza virus. A flu infection can sometimes be fatal however most symptoms go away after about a week. The virus causes symptoms that are similar to the common cold but they are normally more severe and cause the infected individual to feel worse than when they have the cold. Many people come down with the flu each year and it is a constant infection that is expected yearly.
The flu is virulent for many reasons. The virus contains hemagglutinin (HA) spikes and neuraminidase (NA) spikes that aid in its infectious capacity. There are many different types of HA and NA spikes so a single influenza strain can have any combination of the 2 proteins. This determines what strain is infectious each season. For example, the strain can be H1N1 or H3N2 and so on. There are 18 possible HA spikes and 11 NA spikes. Despite influenza’s virulence, this infection is preventable with the use of the influenza vaccine.
New flu vaccines are made each year to try and best combat the expected strain. Scientists can study the virus and make an educated guess on which strain will be the most infectious in the coming year. They then make a vaccine that targets 4 strains of the flu to cover their bases with the unknown and mostly unpredictable nature of the virus. While it is too early to tell whether or not this years vaccine is effective, the CDC says it is still important to get vaccinated. Even if the strain that is most present and infectious for the season is not covered on the vaccine, the antibodies made to fight off the vaccine could play a role in reducing the effect of the virus on your body. So to make a long story short, get vaccinated… it won’t hurt you.
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