» MUST-READ HEALTH NEWS: Worried about getting deadly flu? Here’s tips to prevent it
So, how does the flu actually kill people?
Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by tiny droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often, a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Complications of flu can include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma or diabetes. Anyone can get the flu, and serious problems related to the flu can happen at any age, but some people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), pregnant women, and young children, according to the CDC.
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In most cases, people die from the fly because the "body kills itself by trying to heal itself," according to the Scientififc American.
“Dying from the flu is not like dying from a bullet or a black widow spider bite,” Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told the Scientific American. “The presence of the virus itself isn’t going to be what kills you. An infectious disease always has a complex interaction with its host.”
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People with these medical conditions will also be at a greater risk for complications:
— Asthma
— Neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions [including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy (seizure disorders), stroke, intellectual disability, moderate to severe developmental delay, muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord injury].
— Chronic lung disease (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and cystic fibrosis)
— Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failure and coronary artery disease)
— Blood disorders (such as sickle cell disease)
— Endocrine disorders (such as diabetes mellitus)
— Kidney disorders
— Liver disorders
— Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders and mitochondrial disorders)
— Weakened immune system due to disease or medication (such as people with HIV or AIDS, or cancer, or those on chronic steroids)
— People younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy
— People with extreme obesity
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