If there is only one strain of one particular cold or flu, where do they all keep coming from?

Question

There must be gazillions and they all feel the same. Will in our lifetime experience every cold/flu there is?

Answer 1

No, simple and to the point, No. and Yes, there are gazillions of them and, they'll keep coming. They change constantly, that's why we can't come up with a "shot' or a "pill" to cure them. No, you won't experience all of them because they'll just keep mutating. They'll make you miserable, they'll keep you out of school, work. They may put you in the hospital or worse but, doctors won't cure you, only make you comfortable.

Answer 2

Things like colds and flus are caused by viruses which mutate constantly, which is why we still get a cold/the flu every year (or more frequently for some), even though it is technically the same type of virus.

Mutations for flus occur in avian and porcine hosts, which are then able to mutate again to be transmissible to humans.

This is why I do not put much stock into the bird flu scare, as all flus inevitably come from birds and/or pigs - this one is likely to be no different. The comparison to the Spanish flu, I think, is rather flawed. This influenza pandemic occurred in 1918-1919, and though it killed 20-25 million worldwide, you have to take into account some of the factors at the time that increased the death toll. For example, movement of troops post war helped to spread the disease. Also, the general poor health of citizens and especially wounded soldiers did not make for strong immunity to the infection.

Answer 3

As each strain is treated - the germs mutate to survive. Hence, you can get a flu shot and still catch the flu. You can catch one strain of a cold and then another. The germs are great at surviving every time we find a way to treat it. That is why often, instead of treating the cold or virus, you treat the symtoms.

Answer 4

cold/ flu are transmitted when we sneeze. the virus is released in the environment and when it finds a host it will develop this conditions, immunocompressed, asthamatic, sudden change in weather conditions, and many more conditions r responsible for this infection. they keep coming again and again as our body conditions keep changing and the virus keeps adjusting to body temperature. moreover the immune response to the virus remains in our body for only a particular time and then the WBC's die out. hence we get cold/flu again and again.

Answer 5

This is because viruses and colds mutate into other forms of the same cold which is why you never stop getting colds and they all seem very similar.

Answer 6

there isn't just one - there are hundreds - but as we get each one we become immune to that particular strain - that's why you don't see many old people with colds

Answer 7

Its a viral thing it just keeps coming

Answer 8

a virus is always mutating