Flu can kill: Heartbreaking stories that show it’s more than just a fever
Flu is such a common disease, that most people carry on with their daily lives without thinking much about it. While flu may seem harmless, it can take a dangerous turn anytime, especially for little ones, elderly and other vulnerable populations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this flu season has been especially severe for America. As per a National Institutes of Health study, influenza or flu kills more than 36,000 people in the United States each year, hospitalising 200,000 more.
From flu to death
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What’s shocking the people whose loved ones have been dying after being diagnosed with flu is the fact that they were otherwise healthy before the infections. Thus, losing their life to the flu comes as an unexpected shock. Brandon Salgado who lost his 49-year-old mother, a paralegal to flu, revealed to the New York Times that she was completely healthy before she fell ill. He received a call from her doctor who told him that his mother had a 50% shot at survival. In the hospital, her heart stopped multiple times and she had to be resuscitated. “We have shocked her about as many times as we can,” said the doctor to Salgado.
Salgado’s mother’s health had deteriorated so much that she needed dialysis for her kidneys, her brain showed little activity, her limbs lost circulation and her arms and legs would have to be amputated if she survived. Upon hearing all this, Salgado made the decision to take her away from the ventilator after which she died within minutes.
There have been others who have faced the grave loss of loved ones. Ca’Myiah Simmons, 16, tested positive for flu but died due to loss of oxygen reaching her brain. Mr Walsh began struggling with breath one night and tested negative for flu, Covid or strep. However, soon he went into cardiac arrest thrice and needed intubation to breathe. He also tested positive for strep and flu, which developed into sepsis and led to his death.
Flu is not just an infection
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What confuses family members is how a simple flu diagnosis has sometimes led to the discovery of serious diseases and, tragically, the eventual loss of their loved ones.
According to Dr Sean Liu, associate professor of infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the flu can swiftly turn from a mild illness to a serious infection. The virus with overlapping infections can be lethal for the young, the old and those with underlying health conditions.
While the flu shot can lower the chances of contracting the virus, when the lungs are too damaged, people can develop other deadly infections and face difficulty recovering.
According to CDC, flu can have various symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and muscle stiffness, and fatigue. While most of those diagnosed with the disease recover from a few days to less than two weeks, others can develop complications such as pneumonia and more, leading to death.
