12 Types Of Flues - Curious Desire

If you have the flu, you need a break. Although the flu takes its time to go away, getting a good amount of rest during this time is good for your body. It’s quite common to be exposed to the flu but don’t worry it will soon go away. This article will share the types of flues with you to make you understand that at times flu can be dangerous so it’s better to consult.

The flu is a sickness that affects the throat and nose. Symptoms of flu include coughing, fever, runny nose, congestion, and a sore throat. Flu can be caused by many viruses such as coronavirus and rhinovirus which are contagious to other individuals.

Table of Contents

Types Of Flues That You Need To Know

The first known case of the flu was in 15th century London where it killed thousands of people that were infected by this virus. Some people believed that it was God himself who sent it to punish people for being evil. Then in the 17th century, flu started being known as the “throat distemper” because it caused fever and throat pain.

Let’s look at the types of flues are there in the world:

1. Influenza A Virus

Influenza virus is the most common type of flu and it’s transmitted through the air or by touching an object that was touched by someone who is already infected. Symptoms of colds caused by this virus include coughing, headache, runny nose, body aches, and high fever.
These symptoms may last for several days until the body builds up a resistance to the virus.

2. Influenza B Virus

Symptoms of flu caused by the influenza B virus are similar to those caused by the influenza A virus, but they may last for a shorter time and patients tend to recover faster from this type of infection. It is primarily found in humans. It can be dangerous, but in most cases, it is less severe.

3. Influenza C Virus

This type of flu virus causes colds and it’s rarely seen in the United States. If you do get infected, the symptoms are similar to the ones caused by the influenza A virus. It is milder than A and B, but it can be serious in the case of infants, the elderly, and people with a very weak immune system.

4. Influenza D Virus

It was first discovered in 2011, and it only infarcts animals. Till to date, there has been no case of a human being infected. The symptoms are mild and are found in many parts of the world.

5. Rhino Flu

Symptoms of this flu include cough, runny nose, and sneezing but they may not last for a long time as colds do. This kind of infection is often treated with antibiotics such as amoxicillin which kills the bacteria that causes infection.

6. Swine Flu

Symptoms of this flu include fever, body aches, sore throat, and sometimes the patient may develop pneumonia which makes breathing difficult. Swine flu can lead to other complications like ear infections or dehydration that need treatment to prevent it from becoming worse.

7. Human Flu Virus (H1N1)

H1N1 flu surfaced in 2009 and also led to thousands of deaths. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and body aches. It is a combination of human, swim, and bird flu. It’s muted influenza A. You don’t need to worry much as you can get flu shots to protect yourself.

8. Human Flu Virus (H3N2)

Symptoms of this kind of flu include a high fever, headache, tiredness, and a dry cough. It is transmittable from pigs to humans. Since 2011, people have been infected by H3N2 but are thankful a vaccine has been developed. It’s not very likely for you to contract this flue but if you spend time on a pig farm wear gloves and wash your hands often.

9. Human Flu Virus (H5N1)

Symptoms of this type of infection include fever, runny nose, and body aches. People who have H5N1 usually recover on their own but this kind of flu is more serious than the common cold because it can lead to pneumonia.
It spread from infected birds to humans. It is highly likely to contract if you are travelling to or from a place that had an outbreak and if you hang around poultry.

10. Human Flu Virus (H7N9)

Symptoms of this type of infection are similar to those caused by human flue virus type H5N1 but the symptoms will last for a shorter time. It’s still unknown how it can be transmitted from one person to another so people who have contracted this virus are being quarantined.

We have discussed multiple H and N types of flu, they are subtypes of influenza A. Interestingly, only 66% of the possible combinations have been found.

11. Seasonal flu

This type of flu spreads in the winter and it’s transmitted through the air. The flue hospitalizes between 140,000 and 960,000 people in a year in American.

Symptoms include fever, runny nose, sore throat, and a cough. In most cases, patients recover from this infection on their own but there are cases when it can be dangerous if not treated with the right medication.

12. Flu Pandemic

Symptoms of this type of flu include fever, body aches, and a sore throat. In some cases, patients may also have diarrhea and vomiting. The symptoms usually last for about one week but there are instances when people can still show symptoms even after a month from the date of infection.

Types Of Flues – Conclusion

So now you know about different types of flues that exist and their symptoms. If you exhibit any symptoms, consult your doctor before deciding on home treatments because they may interfere with prescribed medication which could make things worse for you in the end.
Also never self-medicate because it’s easy to mistake what illness you have, which will only make the situation worse in that case.

Reference

Ayesha Akhtar