How Deadly is the Flu Virus and How Important is the Vaccine?

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How Deadly is the Flu Virus and How Important is the Vaccine?
Influenza is a very serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and even fatalities. There are many different strands, infecting people of all ages and originating from different animals, which can be extremely fatal if the right care isn’t provided. Care for flu patients have changes tremendously over the years from once having no vaccine to having a limited amount of vaccines, only for the most prone individuals, to now having yearly vaccines to prevent the most common cases of flu. Doctors have learned just how deadly the flu virus can be which has led to the importance of them educating their patients of the flu virus and explaining the importance of getting the vaccine in order for their bodies to get an immunity of the many flu viruses that many in our country have previously faced. Many in our county in the past have died from the virus due to no vaccines, poor precautions, and being uneducated on the virus because it was new, but new vaccines and precautions are being taken in order to prevent pandemics such as the Flu Pandemic of 1918.
Influenza is a highly contagious virus that attacks the respiratory system and is transmitted when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks and the droplets are transmitted through the air to infect another individual. A person can get the virus by touching an area that the virus is and then touching his or her eyes, mouth or nose, which is why it is very important to always wash hands and keep surfaces clean. Vaccines are available to help prevent humans from getting the virus and causing a serious outbreak. People are recommended to get vaccinated before “flu season” which is from fall to late January or early Febr...

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... 80 million people were vaccinated which minimized the outbreak. An estimated nearly 43 to 89 million people were infected between April 2009 and April 2010. There was a declared end to the H1N1 swine flu on August 10, 2010. "1918 Flu Pandemic." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014

Works Cited

"1918 Flu Pandemic." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014
"Pandemic Flu History." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Taubenberger, Jeffery K., and David M. Morens. "1918 Influenza: the mother of all pandemics." Rev Biomed 17 (2006): 69-79.
"CDC Says “Take 3” Actions To Fight The Flu." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 Mar. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

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