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by Alicia M Prater PhD

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Flu is a common term that can potentially describe three different kinds of infections, but the influenza (flu) that we fear during the winter is actually only one of those types, a viral respiratory disease.

The influenza virus infects the respiratory tract. Stomach flu is actually viral gastroenteritis, or inflammation of the digestive tract, and is caused by a number of viruses but not the influenza virus. There is also a bacterium called H. influenzae, so named because it was mistakenly thought to cause the common flu until the 1930s when the virus was discovered. Because of this fact, antibiotics will not alleviate flu symptoms or speed recovery. Also, gastroenteritis is not prevented by flu drugs or the flu vaccine.

Flu symptoms include fever, headache, coughing, sinus congestion, sore throat, muscle aches, and fatigue. The virus particles are breathed into the upper respiratory tract and travel deeper into the lower respiratory tract where they bind to the hemagglutinins, surface proteins, on the surface of the respiratory epithelium. The virus secretes viral neuraminidase to prevent being trapped by the mucus that lines the tract. Once bound to the epithelial cells, the virus penetrates the cell membrane and components necessary for the production of more virus are injected. At this point, a person is infected, and the immune response begins to fight against the production and spread of viral particles, resulting in fever and fatigue.

Recommendations for treating the flu include rest, plenty of fluids, and chicken soup. The nutrients in the soup, and the steam clearing the sinuses, help the body fight off the infection. For the most part the viral infection has to take its course. However, there are prescription antiviral medications available including Tamiflu (oseltamivir), but some of the common strains have already developed resistance to this treatment. Three additional drugs are FDA approved for treating the flu including the adamantadines (amantadine and rimantadine) as well as zanamivir. Resistance to the adamantadines, approved to treat type A strains, has already developed also and their use in the United States is no longer recommended. The neuraminidase inhibitors Tamiflu and zanamivir are both approved to treat all the common flu strains, both A and B types.

There is also a vaccine against the influenza virus, which occurs as three strains - type A, B, and C. Type A viruses are subtyped depending on two surface proteins; the two most common strains are H1N1 and H3N2. Each season the flu shot is developed to protect against variations of the type A strains H1N1 and H3N2, as well as influenza type B, that are expected to occur that year. The mix is the medical community's best guess based on the strains that emerged in prior years. Unfortunately, it takes several months to develop the vaccine and strains emerging later in the year are not included. This was the case for the 2007-2008 vaccine which does not protect against the common stain, resulting in a widespread outbreak of flu. However, the vaccine does offer cross immunity to decrease the severity of the infection.

Most healthcare facilities advise not going to them for diagnosis or treatment as this aids in the spread of influenza. It is advised to use over the counter treatments or any at home remedy for cold and flu unless complications arise or the fever spikes. To prevent infection it is important to wash your hands often, use sanitizing gels or liquids when in contact with other people, and to boost your immune system with foods or safe herbal remedies containing zinc, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B complex.

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