The first virus that causes influenza was first identified only in the 1930s. Thereafter, scientists have managed to classify influenza viruses into three types.

So, the three main types of influenza are influenza A, influenza B and influenza C based on the three categories of viruses that cause the illness.Influenza A is considered to be the most common type of flu that afflicts people. It is also the deadliest as it has managed to cause many epidemics across the world. Influenza B also has the ability to cause epidemics, but the illness is much milder than that caused by influenza A. Finally, influenza C does not cause epidemics. Instead the influenza C viruses cause respiratory infections which are not so severe. These infections are very similar to the common cold.

You can get any type of influenza virus through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus travels through the air and enter the nasal passage or the mouth from where it then enters into the body. In addition, you can also get the influenza viruses from coming in contact with surfaces or objects that are contaminated with the virus; for example, doorknobs, telephones or computer keyboards.

One of the main worries of influenza is contracting pneumonia. This usually occurs when pneumonia causing bacteria enter the lungs, which are already weak on account of flu. However, pneumonia can also be caused by the flu virus. Usually a person first gets better, and only after that pneumonia sets in all of a sudden. The symptoms that you should be looking for are high grade fever, chills, pain in the chest while breathing and coughing out thick green colored phlegm.

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