How is the flu virus spread

Influenza is a highly contagious disease. The flu virus is spread when you either inhale infected droplets in the air (spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes) or when you come in direct contact with an infected person’s secretions…

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-guide/what-causes-flu-viruses?src=RSS_BLOGGER

The flu is spread by respiratory droplets produced by a cough, sneezing, or talking. We come infected from:

http://www.pearlanddoctors.com/articles/abouttheflu.html

droplets carried in a cough or a sneeze. (Source Health Canada) Enclosed areas with re-circulated air such as classrooms, offices, trains, buses and planes are highly likely areas in which to catch the flu virus. Under the right condition…

http://www.oscilloforflu.com/en/info.asp

Related Questions Answered on Y!Answers

How does Bird Flu virus spread from birds to animals, especially humans?

Q: With the recent discovery of bird flu infection in west bengal, india, it has become an apparent threat to everybody in india. So for awareness’s sake i want to know what are all the means and i mean all the possible means if infection from birds to human.

A: How humans get bird flu Avian viruses generally don’t affect humans, but in 1997, an outbreak of bird flu in Hong Kong infected 18 people, six of whom died. Since then, human cases of bird flu have been reported in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Most were traced to contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated by sick birds. Often, flu viruses that cross the species barrier originate in areas where people live in close proximity to chickens and pigs. That’s because pigs are susceptible to infection with both avian and human viruses and so are an ideal “mixing bowl” for genes. But at least some bird flu viruses don’t need a third party. Instead, they shuffle and rearrange their genetic material directly in humans. That seems to be the case in most instances of human-acquired bird flu. People become sick after direct contact with infected birds or bird-contaminated surfaces, not from contact with other animals. Direct bird-to-human transmission works like this: Wild birds shed the virus. Infected migratory waterfowl, the natural carriers of bird flu viruses, shed the virus in their droppings, saliva and nasal secretions. The virus spreads to domesticated birds. Domestic poultry become infected from contact with these birds or with contaminated water, feed or soil. Bird flu spreads quickly within a domestic flock and is inadvertently transported from farm to farm on equipment, cages, and workers’ shoes and clothing. Heat destroys the virus, but it can survive for extended periods in cool temperatures. Markets provide pathways to humans. Open-air markets, where eggs and birds are sold in crowded and unsanitary conditions, are hotbeds of infection and spread the disease into the wider community. At any point along the way, humans may pick up the virus through close contact with sick birds or contaminated surfaces. An ailing bird can shed the virus in its feathers as well as in droppings, and some people have contracted bird flu simply by touching an infected bird. The ease of worldwide travel has the potential to spread bird flu around the globe. And migratory birds can carry the virus from continent to continent along flyways. Outbreaks may also spread locally through unsanitary markets, contaminated clothing and equipment, and smuggled birds.The greatest risk factor for bird flu seems to be contact with sick birds or with surfaces contaminated by their feathers, saliva or droppings. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed a handful of cases of limited human-to-human transmission of bird flu. But unless the virus begins to spread more easily among people, infected birds or associated material presents the greatest hazard. The pattern of human transmission remains mysterious. Young children seem especially vulnerable to the virus, although some experts note that children are more likely to have contact with sick birds or to play on ground contaminated with droppings. What’s more, people of all ages have contracted and died of bird flu. At this point, too few people have been infected to know all the possible risk factors for bird flu. Sorry this was so long. =S

Has the Texas governor suspended all public events due to the H1N1(Swine flu) virus spread?

Q: I heard a small briefing on the news, I didn’t quite catch the whole story, apparently all I heard was Texas governor suspends public activities until May 11. If any one else in Texas has heard about this please fill me in. Thanks much.

A: all public events yes. and many schools too. I think by next week ALL schools are to be shut down.

Does the swine flu virus spread thru mail packages? Can it spread thru shipments made from infected regions?

Q:

A: this may be helpful from cnn.com 14. Can the swine flu virus live on inanimate objects? If someone with swine flu touches a doorknob, then I touch it, could I get swine flu?Flu viruses can live on inanimate surfaces. So theoretically, you could get swine flu from touching a doorknob that was just touched by an infected person. However, that’s pretty unlikely, according to Dr. Arthur Reingold, head of epidemiology in the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley.”I personally would not have a major fear of environmental contamination,” he said. “Virtually all influenza is transmitted from sneezing and coughing.”Schaffner agrees, adding that flu viruses don’t survive in large numbers on surfaces. “A doorknob isn’t a warm, nourishing environment for a virus,” he said.