Flu known in full as influenza is one of the most common diseases and is caused by a wide variety of viruses. Given the diversity of the viruses whose effects cause the disease, there are several types of this disease, each of which is caused by a different strain of the virus. The different flu causing viruses are divided into three categories each of which falls in either of the A, B or C categorization.
Given the high rate of transmission of flu it is important to note the causal viruses. The influenza virus moves from one person to another in the same environment in different ways. The most common form of transmission of the influenza virus is via coughing or sneezing. When one comes into contact with air that is contaminated with the virus, they are very likely to get infected by the flu virus. In some circumstances one will come across flu viruses on a wide variety of items that have been contaminated by a flu patient with whom they live in the same environment. These could include pens, door knobs, key boards as well as pencils.
Eating and drinking utensils are some of the other items that carry a huge portion of the flu causing virus. Furthermore, contact with discharge from a person that is already infected with the virus also increases chances of infections as the virus may also spread through this. This should explain why people living in the same environment as an infected person are at a higher risk of catching the flu as compared to people that have limited contact with the flu patient. Fortunately, the flu virus can only remain active outside the human host for a short period of time.
The different types of flu viruses have varied ranges of severity. While the common flu attacks anyone coming in contact with a patient, such a strain does not usually have serious symptoms nor does it harbor any complications. This type of behavior is usually associated with the C type of the flu virus. It lasts for only couple of days and could easily be overcome by the body’s immune system. However, there are other strains that cause epidemics and leave serious effects on the affected individuals. Other strains of flu are known to strike during different seasons more so during winter as well as late fall. Both these scenarios are as a result of either the A or B strains, of the flu causing virus.