2018 has been an especially deadly flu season. About 53 people under the age of eighteen have died, and flu activity has not yet reached its peak. But what is the flu, and how do people die from this infection?

Influenza (its full name), is a viral respiratory infection, sometimes described symptomatically speaking as a very bad cold. It usually occurs during the fall and winter months, when people crank up the heat (this aids virus growth) and are closer together with little ventilation, as compared in the summer months. Like most infections, the infected are contagious even before symptoms show, which only augments the potentially deadly effect of this virus. There are different strains that appear every year, but they can usually be classed under types A or B (though sometimes B and C pop up).

The cold-like symptoms are well known, consisting of a stuffy nose, substantial amounts of mucus, runny nose, coughing, fever, chills, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, and vomiting and diarrhea in young children (one of the most vulnerable groups due to an undeveloped immune system).

The flu is spread by both the air and touching infected areas, not properly cleaning one’s hands, and then touching an open area of one’s body like the mouth or eyes. Therefore, prevention techniques are primarily washing one’s hands, using hand sanitizer (which, by the way, is better than it used to be since they have been improved), avoiding close contact with infected people, and the most current iteration of the influenza vaccine available.

The flu in all likelihood will not kill you if you these things do not apply to you:

• Over 65 years old
• Infant or young child (Obviously enough)
• Pregnant woman
• Person with heart disease or other cardiovascular problems
• Those with chest issues
• Kidney disease sufferer
• Diabetic
• Steroid user
• Undergoing treatment for cancer
• Any “longstanding” disease that negatively affects immune function

However, there is always a chance even if none of these possible ailments and otherwise apply to you (even though about 250,000-500,000 people die every year all around the globe). So, what do these people die from? How can an over-glorified cold kill a quarter to a half-a-million people around the globe?

One of the greater causes is lung inflammation, which makes sense considering the flu is a respiratory infection. Inflammation is the immune system’s reaction to an infection; the tissues afflicted expand to accommodate the large amount of white blood cells flooding in to combat said infection. While short-term inflammation is fine, long-term can cause issues.

The issue with lung inflammation is that oxygen has a more difficult time reaching your blood vessels. Because influenza is a virus, it needs your body’s cells to reproduce, unlike bacteria who reproduce asexually via splitting, and so, due to the damage incurred, oxygenation becomes even harder. Respiratory failure is the most common way to die from an influenza infection,

Sepsis, or “body-wide inflammation”, is also another possible cause of death via inflammation caused by influenza infection. This is also known as “multiple organ failure”- the organs become so overwhelmed by the inflammation, that they simply shut down and begin to die. However, secondary infections are also a threat, especially to those with poor immune systems (those with autoimmune disorders, old people, and young children and infants).

When the immune system is already weak and/or has been weakened by the current flu infection, this makes it harder for the body to also fight other diseases that could be trying to invade. When this secondary infection infects the lungs, it is called pneumonia. It is especially devilish because your body will begin to feel better as you recover from the flu, and then suddenly feel worse from the pneumonia.

So, if you or a person you know is suffering from the flu and are vulnerable or are failing to heal properly, then it is imperative that any pride or hesitation is thrown aside and they are taken to a hospital to be treated properly. Don’t let yourself or those you know and care about become an unnecessary statistic. Take preventative measures, too; you never know if this will save your life or someone else’s.