So just what does cause the flu? Most people have a general idea, but a lot of misconceptions are still in the air about this disease. The more you know about the flu and how it’s caused, the less likely you’ll probably be to experience the flu firsthand.
Do germs cause the flu?
More specifically flu is caused by a virus, even more specifically by over a hundred different kinds of viruses. Scientists and researchers categorize those viruses into types A, B, and C.
There are actually a few differences among the types that are worth noting. Most of the large-scale flu epidemics are the responsibility of the type A and type B flu viruses. The Type C flu virus is less likely to mutate and is less likely to cause the serious symptoms that characterize virulent influenza epidemics such as the one back in 1918 that killed 50 million people. The virus responsible for that pandemic was a Type A flu virus similar to the current swine flu virus of subtype H1N1.
The type A flu virus is can actually occur in species other than human. These include chickens, ducks, horses, pigs and even whales. Thus far, type B flu viruses are confined to humans.
Spreading the Flu
We already know quite a bit about how the flu spreads. And it’s one of the more highly contagious diseases known to humankind. The most common methods involve sneezing and coughing. Flu viruses are resilient and can survive on droplets propelled through the air long enough to make their way into your lungs nose or throat.
Flu viruses also can continue to exist on surfaces such as telephones, remote controls and keyboards long enough to get picked up by you hands and subsequently make their way into your body by way of the nose, the eyes or the mouth.
Sharing items such as eating utensils or handkerchiefs can also serve to spread the flu. Intimate contact between two human beings is another fairly obvious way that the flu virus can spread. Since Type B flu is also prevalent in animals, showing affection to your pet may also result in your coming down with a case of influenza.
Risk factors for flu are also seasonal, with the winter months being the most common time that outbreaks of flu occur. Explanations for that include:
People tend to stay indoors in close proximity with each other during the winter months. This provides the virus more opportunities to move from one person to the next. Inside air is less humid than outside air, especially in the winter. The flu virus actually likes things kind of dry.
It doesn’t circulate nearly as much on the inside of the house as it might in the outdoors. Droplets containing the flu virus can remain suspended in the stale air waiting to infect someone.
How Contagious are People that Have the Flu?
How contagious you are can actually vary by old you are. Adults are typically contagious for up to seven days after first showing symptoms of the flu. You can infect someone with the flu up to 24 hours before you show any symptoms at all. Younger children are capable of spreading the flu by way of secretions well into the second week after they first show symptoms of the flu.