Every year brings a new flu season. People call out sick from work and school suffering from various symptoms that can range from mild symptoms to hospitalization. However, every new year comes  with a new variant.

According to  the World Health Organization (WHO), the flu is “an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses that circulate globally and year-round.” This means that it is a virus that happens across the globe throughout the year. It mutates each year which is why we need a new flu shot every year. 

There are two ways it mutates: “Antigenic Drift” which is small, continuous mutations in the genes encoding the virus’s surface proteins and “Antigenic Shift”, where two viruses collide in one unlucky person and mutate off of one another. 

There is also a new strain called Subclade K, or a form of influenza A(H3N2) that has hit all over the world but not all parts of South America or Africa thus far.

Lots of people have been worrying about catching this virus as intense symptoms have been reported.  However, according to Yale Medicine, the people that catch it are usually people through the ages zero to four and those enrolled in school. The people that get it really bad are young infants or older adults, and, in some cases, people with asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Symptoms of this virus are like many other viruses with “high fever or feeling feverish/chills, cough and sore throat, muscle or body aches, headache and fatigue and/or vomiting and diarrhea, which are more common in children than in adults.” Doctors advise to not wait to test yourself for the flu. If you feel any of the symptoms stated, it is best to test yourself so you have the knowledge, and so you aren’t exposing others to the virus. Once diagnosed, you can get special treatment such as  “TAMIFLU is a prescription medicine used to treat the flu (influenza) in people 2 weeks of age and older who have had flu symptoms for no more than 2 days.” 

Speaking of testing, you can get at-home flu tests at pharmacies, hospitals, and sometimes at grocery stores that hold pharmacies within them. Most of them cost at most $30 but typically they are ranging within $20. 

As mentioned above, there is a wide variety of treatments for the flu. Some include natural remedies, like hydration, vitamin C, rest and good old fashioned chicken soup. Tamiful and other flu treatments.