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Gene Therapy

"If Not Influenza, Then What Is It?"
A Look Into Gene Therapy


Influenza, more commonly known as the "flu", is a virus that causes an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. Symptoms of influenza virus are due to the body naturally responding to an infection, like it would any other virus. Common symptoms that influenza can cause are fever, muscle pain, headache, nasal congestion, inflammation of the throat, and fatigue. Other viruses such as the common cold can trigger similar symptoms, although the symptoms caused by influenza tend to be more severe.
The most dangerous effect on the body caused by influenza is the reduction of the body's ability to fight off other infections, such as viral or bacterial pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs). People 65 years and older, children with under developed immune symptoms, and people with diseases in the heart or lungs are at greater risk of developing more severe symptoms during the course of influenza.
Influenza is an airborne disease, meaning that it could be spread through breathing, coughing, and/or sneezing. The virus can also be spread when a person touches tiny droplets from coughs or sneezes that are on another person or object, and they then touch their mouth or nose before washing their hands. Symptoms begin at an average of 2 days after the person is exposed to the virus. Fevers last up to 10 days, while cough and weakness can last up to 2 weeks. An infected adult can spread the virus one day before and 5 days after the symptoms start. Children, on the other hand, can spread the virus 21 days after the symptoms start.

1The following table is a comparison of the common cold to the influenza virus that was accessed from http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile12b.stm#E46E1
"Is it a cold or influenza?

The following table can help you figure out whether you are suffering from a cold or influenza.
Signs and Symptoms Common Cold Influenza (the flu)
Fever Rare Usual,...