Every year Influenza Virus is killing hundred of people in USA and death ratio is increasing!

According to WHO, every year there are three to five million cases of severe flu and around 300,000 to 700,000 deaths occur due to flu worldwide. According to U.S. Centre for Disease Control, the death rate was higher in years 2010 – 2016 as compared to 1976 – 2005.

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So how does death occur due to flu??

When we catch flu normally through eyes, nose and mouth, this influenza virus starts taking over human cells in throat and nose and starts multiplying. This attack activates our immunity system and strong response comes from immunity system. It sends hundreds of antibodies, white blood cells to destroy this threat. Our T cells destroy the tissues which are protecting culprit virus in throat and lungs.

Mostly in normal healthy person, this process recovers within days. But sometimes, the immunity system gives strong response enough to destroy healthy tissues in lungs that they become useless to deliver us oxygen which results in death.

While our immune system is busy fighting with infected tissues, a type of bacteria called Streptococcus enters the lungs and infects the lungs and then this infection spreads to other body parts and even blood.

According to research done at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one third of flu patients die because virus overcomes the immunity system; another third die due to bacterial infections and remaining third die due to failure of other body organs.

There are also many other infections which develop because of flu such as sinus and ear infections, inflammation of the heart, brain or muscles and Reye’s syndrome. These problems are less common, but can be deadly.

Most flu-related deaths happen among children and the aging persons, both of whom are individually vulnerable. The reason is that the immunity systems of children are relatively simple and does not respond timely. The immunity system of the elder people is normally weak due to growing age and illness.

There are some persons who are at great risk of flu complications like pregnant women, health workers and people who have some chronic disease.

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According to WHO, more than 6,000 people had influenza virus and 856 were hospitalized due to severe flu complications in United States during flu season.

The best way to prevent the flue is to get timely vaccination.

Reference: source