Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how dangerous flu can be. Sure, we may skip the occasional vaccine and not develop any sort of illness, but in some cases flu is outright deadly. Like in the case of the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918 which killed between 50 and 100 million people, if not treated properly, flu can wipe out a huge percentage of the world’s population. One of the most recent pandemics is still on-going, with still rampant swine flu hospitalizes two in Ireland.
- Flu is pandemic, as shown by the Spanish flu that killed off 5% of the world’s population in 1918
- If not treated properly, flu can mutate and become resistant to most treatments
- The best way to avoid getting infected is to get vaccinated and follow simple hygiene norms
- Swine flu patients exhibit basic influenza symptoms, making it difficult to identify
- Special cases of influenza, like bird or swine flu, can be far more deadly to at risk groups
As more and people are avoiding vaccines, either due to their fear of needles, crazy conspiracy theories, or simple carelessness, more and more cases of influenza are popping up around the world.
In the recent month, we’ve had cases of bird flu, swine flu, a few mutated influenza strains, and even a special kind of flu affecting dogs. And all of these happened in the United States.
As the authorities are trying to convince people to get their flu shots in the hopes of avoiding a pandemic like the 2009 swine flu pandemic which killed over 14,000 people, the influenza strain has already started to spread.
The most recent confirmed cases are from Ireland, where two patients were brought in to intensive care unit with what was described as flu-like symptoms.
Doctors are almost sure that the two, a paramedic and a pregnant mother two, are currently outside of any real life-threatening dangers, but they say that they still have some recovery to do.
Also, it is unknown whether the two spread the virus to other people with whom they came into contact, but authorities are assuming they did, and are going to investigate the relatives and close acquaintances of both victims to see if they show any symptoms.
Stressing how irresponsible it is to be pregnant, to also have children at home, and still not to get your flu shot, the doctors warn that despite the current strains being lighter than previous, deadlier ones, the virus can still mutate at any moment, especially if left untreated.
Image source: Wikimedia
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