Flu season

From ArticleWorld

There are typically two flu seasons a year as winter in the northern hemisphere occurs at the end of the year while in the southern hemisphere it falls in the middle of the year. Though most likely to strike during this season, there are some instances where influenza has struck in spring and even summer.

During the season, the number of influenza cases peak after about three weeks and slow down after a further three or four weeks. Children are up to three times more likely to contract the illness and because schools are ideal breeding grounds for the virus, families with school age children are more likely to be affected than single adults.

Complications

Affecting millions every year, it is considered commonplace, but the flu can lead to serious complications. In the US alone, more that 200 000 people develop symptoms so severe that they need hospitalization and approximately 36 000 deaths are recorded each season. Worldwide, up to 500,000 die each year from the flu though mostly in high risk groups such as the elderly and chronically ill.

Influenza outbreaks also have economic costs as thousands of workers take time off in order to recover and indeed in some cases they are not allowed to enter the workplace in an effort to stop the virus spreading.