Flu is the general term for influenza or any other milder & similar type of upper respiratory tract infection. It’s highly contagious and is transfered from one person to another person very easily. It is the kind of influenza virus that can lead to different forms of the flu and its spread is directly related to the rate it can be transfered. Flu is categorized as mild, highly resistant and rapidly transferred.
The first type is Bird flu which is present in both people and birds and can be transfered from one to another. A second type is the Swine flu. The swine flu infects swine first and can then be passed on to a person. Stomach flu is a kind of gastroenteritis resulting from ingestion of a viral load through saliva. This type of flu can get transfered via fecal oral route from infected person via fecal contaminated food and stuff to a new uninfected person.
Knowledge about flu, its variants, and its sources and about how it is transfered is mandatory today because a sudden epidemic and its endemic nature can cause mass fatalities. Flu transmission directly involves contact as skin to skin and if the agent is physically transfered to a susceptible host from an infected person. Two patients can transmit flu to one another, one serving as the source and one as the host. A susceptible host and source via can exchange flu virus indirectly through some kind of contaminated intermediate object, which are usually inanimate, in the patient's environment. Virus transfered through contaminated hands and fomites is a very commonly known contributing factor, too. That’s the reason why those advertisement agencies are always saying you to wash your hands and avoid diseases like flu and diarrhea etc. Contaminated droplets are produced by the infected person and can infect other persons as they are pushed at a short distance through the act of coughing or sneezing and can come in contact with a person's exposed areas like mouth, eye etc. This way through droplet transmission makes it the common way flu is transfered. Since these droplets are large enough to not stay long in the air, this method of transmission is not affected by treatment ways like air handling measures etc. Large droplets appear to be the primary way how hospital acquired flu virus is transfered.
The production of infectious droplet nuclei that are actually dried part of the droplets from the infected person. It’s also a common method of direct transmission of flu virus. Opposite to the larger droplets, these droplets are relatively small and remain suspended in air and spread through air in a room or a building and thus can be transfered to a susceptible host. This way virus can also be transfered through long distance and for duration larger than any other possible way of transmission. The use of air handling and ventilation procedures can reduce the amount of virus transfered through droplet nuclei transmission method.
Influenza cannot be transfered through long distances by prolonged presence in air as seen with airborne diseases such as tuberculosis etc. Organisms’ transfered in this manner have special survival properties that make them able to survive vigorous conditions of long term air travel.
Direct body surface contact may also transmit the viral infection. Contact with contaminated intermediate objects spreads flu indirectly. The most common way the flu transmission is by touching something upon which the patient has been coughed on or sneezed. For instance, the person that was in the taxi/ local train before you had flu and left the virus on the door handle or seat. Good hand washing habit does prevent the spread of flu virus and viral load around none is transfered.
Direct transmission involves direct body-to-body surface contact. Indirect transmission occurs via contact with contaminated intermediate objects such as contaminated hands or inanimate objects such as needles or countertops. Aside from being actually coughed or sneeze upon by an infected person, the most common way the flu is transferred by touching something which has been coughed on or sneeze upon by an infected person. For instance, the person that used the shopping cart before you had the flu. Good hand washing does more to prevent the spread of flu than anything else and around none viral load is transfered.
Evidence supporting the relative contribution of each route of transmission for influenza is limited; however, droplet transmission is thought to be the predominant form through which influenza virus is transfered. In the absence of appropriate ventilation and air exchange, airborne transmission may play a greater role, such as in a crowded space where air exchange is limited. Flu is highly contagious and highly disliked. So learn about how you can save your virus from getting transfered to other innocent beings.
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