Rohrer 1Olga RohrerMr. Dan FloresEnglish III/5thperiod1 March 2018Flu Fights BackInfluenza, as defined by theMerriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, is knownas“an acute respiratory disease causedby an orthomyxovirus”(312).BackgroundThis disease has been quite popular, especially in its recent surge across the US. Theflu epidemic impacting Los Angeles is a serious concern as may people have died, andothers with worsening symptoms, cannot be treated due to hospitals being overcrowdedand supplies running out.First of all, what is the flu and its symptoms that are killing so many people? Theinfluenza virus first originated in China, from waterfowl. According to Cunningham’sbook,Diseases in History, ducks would reside in the peoples’ water supply, leaving theirfeces there. People would then drink this infected water and get sick (Cunningham 14).Influenza can also come from other animals such as pigs, which means the virus comesin different forms due to its structure. Since the virus is coded on RNA, it allows for“replicating with errors,” meaning more strains (Cunningham 20). These newly formedstrains can fall under 3 categories: Type A, Type B, and Type C. Each one ranging inseverity. So, what is the strain that has been going around recently? It is the Influenza A
