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Essay On Influenza Virus

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Influenza Virus
Influenza is a viral infection that attacks your respiratory system — your nose, throat and lungs. The virus is sphere covered with spike like proteins, called the hem agglutinin and the neuraminidase, ready to latch on to a healthy human cell. The process of entering a cell, reproducing, and moving to another cell takes about 4 to 6 hours. There are multiple complications of the influenza virus such as Guillain-Barre syndrome and Reye's syndrome. The most serious complication is pneumonia. When having the flu, you can have a bunch of symptoms. Headaches, fever, runny nose, coughing, sore throat, body aches, and tiredness are a few symptoms of the flu.
The influenza virus looks like a sphere covered with spike like proteins for grip ready to latch on to a healthy human cell. The virus holds RNA in the very center of the virus. The outside layer is called the envelope. “The H spike (hem agglutinin) and the N spike (neuraminidase) are called proteins and exist in the envelope and they are used for antigenic typing” (Pearson 2004). These proteins allow the virus to enter and exit the host (our cells). Once the virus is inside the cell, the virus can begin reproducing. Soon, each infected cell is filled with thousands of new viruses, each of them looking to leave the cell to find a new home in another cell and begin …show more content…

The virus attacks your respiratory system – your nose, throat and lungs. The virus accesses into the body by going through the mouth or nose. People can also pick it up by touching the virus on an object, such as doorknobs, pens, pencils, keyboards, telephone receivers, and eating or drinking utensils, then touching their mouth or nose. “Lower-respiratory symptoms include cough and breathing problems. Upper-respiratory symptoms include sore throat, runny nose and congestion” (Demand Media 2015). The digestive system is also affected by the flu and that causes vomiting and

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