Ways of influenza infection and complications: How to defend against viruses:

The influenza virus itself is divided into three types, A, B and C, of which humans are mainly infected with A and B varieties. The most common type A, depending on the presence of specific proteins on the surface of the virus, is divided into neuraminidase (N) and hemagglutinin subtypes (H). Based on them, the most common mutations H3N2, H1N1 and H1N2 are created, which can be vaccinated in advance. The type of influenza B virus is not as dangerous as A because it consists of only one strand of RNA, and therefore has only two HA and NA subtypes and is therefore not as susceptible to mutations.

Influenza infection occurs through contact with a sick person or person with flu that is asymptomatic. The virus itself spreads by droplets or through contact with the skin and objects that have "infected" the person who is transmitting the virus with its touch or sneezing. In this way, by touching the mouth, eyes or food - we introduce flu into the respiratory system, which is why washing hands is so important, especially after leaving public places. You can also get the flu by contacting infected animals and by eating undercooked meat or raw bird eggs that carry the bird flu virus. The incubation period of the virus is from one day to a week, although most often it occurs two to three days after infection. A sick person infects the day before the onset of symptoms up to 10 days after they appear.

Treatment of influenza is easiest to start with prevention, i.e. seasonal vaccinations. Although the influenza virus is constantly mutating and a universal vaccine cannot be created, WHO determines the predicted virus lines on the basis of statistical analysis, which can be immunized in advance. It is estimated that vaccinations reduce the incidence of children by up to 36 percent. Once the first symptoms appear, you can not delay and treatment should be started immediately by staying at home in bed. The body, which devotes all its strength to fighting the virus, needs a lot of rest and hydration (it is best to drink water, fruit juices, herbal and fruit teas, e.g. from raspberry or elderberry). It has been scientifically proven that elderberry extract, most likely due to an increase in the production of proinflammatory cytokinins in human monocytes, contributes to the inhibition of the development of virus strains and reduces the duration of the disease by up to 3-4 days.

Early flu is best treated with natural methods such as onion syrup, eating garlic, honey, raspberry and chokeberry juice. These products have a warming and antibacterial role. During home treatment, we can only fight the symptoms of influenza, so it is worth stocking up the means that relieve the most serious ailments - runny nose drops, cough syrups and antipyretics. It should be remembered that children under 15 years of age should not be given any medicine based on acetylsalicylic acid, as it may contribute to liver failure (so-called Rey's syndrome). Instead, in the case of a headache, it is better to reach for acetaminophen or ibuprofen medicines. However, do not overdo them, and for joint pain than painkillers it is better to use warm baths with essential oils, e.g. from eucalyptus.
If traditional methods and "cessation" of the disease do not help, or we suspect that the flu can be very rapid, in the first 30 hours after the onset of symptoms you should see a doctor for appropriate antiviral drugs. The most effective prescription neuraminidase inhibitors that stop the replication of type A and B virus.
Although influenza is an extremely dangerous disease in itself, the main cause of death is not the virus itself, but post-morbid complications. They occur in about 6 percent. people, most often in children up to two years old and people over 65 years of age. Every year, 2 million people die as a result of complications, mainly due to the weakening of immunity by other parallel diseases.

The most common flu complications are:
- sinusitis,
- otitis media,
- pneumonia and bronchitis,
muscle inflammation
- myocarditis,
- meningitis
- Guillain-Barré syndrome (nerve damage),
- Rey's syndrome (brain edema and fatty liver).
The influenza virus, entering the body, damages the epithelium of the respiratory tract, as if "paving" the way for dangerous bacteria, which is why so often post-influenza complications are systemic diseases. Bacterial and fungal superinfections are particularly common and dangerous complications. If more than one microorganism has acted in the body, this can lead to toxic shock and in extreme cases death to children and the elderly. Complications appear about two or three weeks after getting sick. Even after a serious illness, however, do not panic, because the complications occur primarily in people with reduced immunity,