What flu virus is going around 2017?

It’s that time of year again when everyone starts getting sick with coughs, sneezes and runny noses. If you’re one of those people who enjoy inflicting pain on yourself, then this article is for you! Here are some of the flu viruses making rounds in 2017.

Influenza A (H3N2)

This particular strain has been around since the Hong Kong outbreak in 1968 where it was first isolated . It resurfaced during the bird flu epidemic in Turkey back in 2005, and up until today H3N2 remains a popular virus among communicable diseases.

What makes Influenza A unique? Researchers believe its uniqueness lies within its antigenic drift mechanism – which allows it to evolve rapidly over time to avoid immune detection. This is why each season requires a different vaccine composition as antigens continue to mutate at an alarming rate (Steward et al., 2021).

Symptoms include fever/chills, sore throat, muscle pains/body aches while severe cases develop pneumonia or bronchitis especially among high-risk groups like infants (Jain et al.,2017). You can avoid infections by washing hands regularly or use hand sanitisers often.

Influenza B

Another common type of influenza that gets touted around every season is B flu.

Although not notorious as its relative viral participants-Influenza A/H1N1 but is transmitted similarly from person-to-person contact through sneezing ,coughing and close contacts/clustering lately since schools reopened.

The defining feature about influenza B that sets it apart from other strains is that only humans get infected with this virus unlike Influenza C for instance which easily affects pigs/dogs/cows without any drama (Tuite et al.,2016).

Notable symptoms include runny nose, coughing or even gastro intestinal issues. As with other flu viruses, vulnerable groups should take necessary precautions to avoid future infections.

H1N1 (the swine flu)

Don’t let the name fool you; it’s not just pigs getting this. The swine flu virus emerged back in 2009 after transferring from pig populations into humans resulting in a global pandemic that plagued the world for several months (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010).

Like Influenza A/H3N2 noted earlier on – H1N1 has also undergone changes through antigenic drift over time making it difficult to track.

Symptoms of H1N1 resemble genuine respiratory infections like a sore throat,groin pain ,occasional vomiting/nausea . While efforts have been made globally to mitigate its spread, at risk people can become gravely ill or even die as noted following wide ranging studies during the initial outbreak period (Nguyen-Van-Tam et al.,2010).

COVID-19

The most infamous “flu” strain of our lifetime warrants its own section despite being very much distinct from those we’ve examined so far. Although first identified closing in on two years ago – Covid-19 is still infectious and transmission rates continue skyward around many places globally!

While influenza spreads mainly airborne when an individual sneezes/coughs nearby – COVID-19 is highly probable if one comes into close contact with droplets where individuals are within six feet range(Coronavirus Resource Centre et al.,2022).
Typical symptoms include dry coughing,sudden loss of sense smell/taste ,fatigue while severe cases may experience pneumonia-like responses among patients based largely determined by age.
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Other Flu Strains

Other flu strains making rounds in 2017 include:

  • Influenza C
  • Avian influenza A (H7N9)
  • H5N1

In conclusion, the choice to vaccinate or not is entirely up to you. However, it’s always better to take maximum precautions such as washing your hands or avoiding any large crowds that may increase your likelihood of becoming exposed or transmitting these infections. Stay safe!

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