This year’s strain of the flu is proving to be deadly. It is spreading at an alarming rate as a new report suggests that it is contracted not only through coughing and sneezing but also through breathing.
The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. It reveals that in addition to coughing or sneezing, it can spread through simply exhaling out of the nose and mouth. The virus can also stay on hair for hours, causing another mode of transmission.
Dr. Donald Milton was one of the researchers on the study. He used the Gesundheit II machine to register transmission of the disease with the help of 178 volunteers who were diagnosed with the flu. “Even if you are not coughing, you can still infect other people,” he said, “Many people shedding virus into the air are shedding real, infectious virus.”
Flu droplets can travel six feet through a cough or a sneeze. Doctors are recommending if you are in close quarters, such as an airplane or train, it might be wise to wear a mask to protect yourself. The disease is spreading so rapidly that it is being compared to the deadly flu outbreak in 1918.
#Flu viruses are moving targets, and a pandemic virus could emerge with as little warning in 2018 as in 1918. CDC scientists examine our pandemic readiness in latest @sciencemagazine: https://t.co/i2NMH4fOLq #1918Flu pic.twitter.com/OLliKsGF6l
— CDC Flu (@CDCFlu) January 19, 2018
Typically the very young and the very old are most susceptible to dying from the flu, but this year’s strain strikes so quickly that it is also taking the lives of those who are typically not affected – healthy people.
This year’s flu shot isn’t 100% effective, but doctors still recommend getting it to give yourself an added layer of protection against this nasty strain of the disease.
Kathleen Cochran DePiero died recently of the flu. Shockingly, the 38-year-old TV reporter and mother of two young children passed away just 36 hours after getting her first symptom. The disease quickly led to pneumonia and sepsis. When something hits that quickly, most of us think we just have to ride it out, but with this strain of the flu, that is not a wise decision. It can morph into something much worse in just a matter of hours.
Kathleen Cochrane DePiero, beloved reporter for FOX 8, passes away unexpectedly https://t.co/KU9r3sytES pic.twitter.com/ZBXVLaCSxB
— fox8news (@fox8news) January 1, 2018
DePiero is not the only person in her age group to die of the flu this year. Several others have passed away, including a 40-year-old marathon runner and a 21-year-old fitness fanatic. The symptoms escalated quickly with all three of them, leading to their deaths.
The flu is killing more than 100 people every week. This disease should be taken very seriously. Video about the flu is below.
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Source: Inquisitr
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