Flu. The moment you sensed it, you did all that you could. You even followed grandmother’s advice and tried some simple remedies. Yet again your nose is sore from dozens of tissues you used because of the nasty flu.

The 2009 flu pandemic was a global outbreak of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus, often referred to as “swine flu.” Although the virus, first detected in April 2009, contains a combination of genes from swine, avian (bird), and human influenza viruses, it cannot be spread by eating pork or pork products, according to medical opinions.

The outbreak began in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, with evidence that there had been an ongoing epidemic for months before it was officially recognized as such. The Mexican government closed most of Mexico City’s public and private facilities in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus. However, the virus continued to spread globally, clinics in some areas were overwhelmed by people infected, and the World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control stopped counting cases and in June declared the outbreak to be a pandemic. H1N1 affected the people in this part of the world too.

While only mild symptoms are experienced by the majority of people, some have more severe symptoms. Mild symptoms may include fever, sore throat, cough, headache, muscle or joint pains, and nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Those at risk of a more severe infection include asthmatics, diabetics, those with obesity, heart disease, the immunocompromised, children with neurodevelopmental conditions, and pregnant women. In addition, even for persons previously very healthy, a small percentage of patients will develop viral pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome. This manifests itself as increased breathing difficulty and typically occurs three to six days after initial onset of flu symptoms.

Similar to other influenza viruses, pandemic H1N1 is typically contracted by person-to-person transmission through respiratory droplets. Symptoms usually last four to six days. To avoid spreading the infection, doctors recommend that those with symptoms stay home, away from school, work, and crowded places. Those with more severe symptoms or those in a risk group may benefit from antivirals.

It seems that flu acquired its reputation from the origins of its name (influenza is an Italian word meaning influence). It has influenced the whole world to try at all times to find a cure or prevention.

“Having flu has always been a usual deal, yet now it is becoming even bigger with media making of flu an ‘instant’ death sentence, and if you make it out alive, you are among the lucky ones,” says Dr. Sherif A. Mahmoud Afifi, health expert and clinical governance manager at Bupa, as part of the medical insurance provider’s awareness-creating exercise. “A trip ‘around the world in 80 days’ can bring anyone to a simple conclusion that different cultures of the world treat the influence of flu differently,” he says and outlines some of the home remedies.

Out of grandma wisdom: Out of respect from grandma’s wisdom, we’ll put this one first on the list — Eat chicken soup. In folk wisdom, rich chicken broth is a valued remedy for the flu. Modern research has confirmed that broth helps prevent and mitigate infectious diseases. Properly prepared broth contains the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate. A big dose of good nutrients is always a good thing to have on board when the body is sick. Nourishing the gut boosts the immune system.

Feverwort, the sweating weed, relieves the fever of Eastern North Americans. The leaves and stem of this plant, found near streams and in marshes and swamps, are dried and ground. A cup of Feverwort tea is one of the best ways to get relief from symptoms of cold and flu.

Garlic, has been proven to have a worldwide reputation as an effective flu fighter. It has been used for a long time and all over the globe for both prevention and cure of flu. There are different recipes for garlic use in flu.

When you think you might be getting a cold, peel a whole clove of garlic and put it in a quarter of a jar full of apple cider vinegar. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and allow the jar to sit undisturbed at room temperature out of direct light for 24 hours. Keep the vinegar tonic refrigerated thereafter for up to two weeks. Heat four ounce of the tonic, just enough to warm it up, and add to tablespoons of honey and a tablespoon of lemon juice and voila. Drink it quickly, because the taste is pretty strong. The garlic will help spread the tonic quickly through your body, the vinegar will clear your sinuses and congestion as well as relieve coughing, and the honey is soothing for your sore throat. You can take this apple cider vinegar tonic every two hours.

How about some garlic in your nose? Cut a garlic clove into several smaller parts. Then take cotton wool, wrap a piece of garlic in it and crimp it on all sides to obtain garlic juice. Now you need to insert a cotton ball in the nostrils, it should not burn the mucous and interfere with breathing. Influenza viruses would be harder to penetrate into the body along with the inhaled air. It is necessary to make timely replacement of dried cotton with fresh ones.

Koreans and Chinese like it ginseng: Korean (red) and Chinese (white) Ginseng roots have been known since centuries to produce a global boosting effect on all aspects of biological functions of the body. The wide effects of Ginseng provoked two professors from Chonnam National University and Hiroshima University to discover the secret behind its effects. They proved that Ginseng promotes immunity and therefore is very effective in reducing the incidence of flu.

Ginger tea, strong taste and effective: Bring two cups of water to a boil, add three slices of fresh ginger, and simmer for 15 minutes. After drinking either one of these, one should bundle up, creating a mild sweat, and rest. Ginger root is another folk remedy for cough, colds and sore throats. It is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat coughs and is also for colds accompanied by a runny nose with a clear nasal discharge, headache, neck and shoulder aches, and a white tongue coating. In ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, ginger is also used for cough and colds.

Egyptians treat it... differently: Egyptians living in rural areas, till now, wrap their chests with newspapers when they have coughs. Although, the mechanism behind the effect of newspapers on cough was not clear for them, yet the fact that newspapers have no pores lead to heating effect that relieves cough.

Onions, a global remedy for everything: Onions have a variety of medicinal effects. Ancient Egyptians used wild onions to treat colds, coughs, and asthma, and to repel insects. Surprisingly, recent researches supported the health effects of onions in such conditions in addition to asthma and bronchitis.

Pharos drink guava leaves tea: It is documented that, historically, ancient Egyptians were the first to discover that Guava leaves suppress cough. They used to boil these leaves and drink it whenever they have a cough. Researchers discovered recently that guava leaves suppress inflammatory substances that cause cold and cough.

What doctors say about Flu? What is seasonal influenza? Seasonal influenza, or flu, is highly communicable viral infection of the nose, throat and lungs that usually occurs in the fall and winter months and can cause severe illness. Vaccines are the best tool to prevent influenza.

How does it spread? Influenza is a viral disease that is passed from one person to another through the air. The disease infects the nose, throat or lungs. It often breaks out as an epidemic which quickly spreads from town to town and country to country.

What are the symptoms? Typical seasonal influenza illness is characterized by the abrupt onset of fever, chills, cough, headache, runny nose, sore throat, and muscle and joint pain.

• Drink as much as possible — you lose a lot of liquids during a fever.

• Rest, preferably by staying in bed.

• Try to get plenty of sleep.

• Avoid smoking

• Regular painkillers will reduce fever and muscle aches.

• Consult a doctor if the symptoms do not disappear after a week, or sooner if you feel worse.

• Both colds and flu are caused by a virus but the symptoms of influenza are usually more severe.

• Antibiotics have no effect against influenza.

• Dampness or coldness cannot cause influenza. However, sudden changes in temperature may cause the symptoms to appear more quickly.

• People are seldom infected by the same type of influenza twice because resistance develops within two to four weeks. However, the influenza virus constantly mutates into slightly different versions of itself, which is one reason why vaccination is sometimes ineffective. The vaccination also needs to be taken yearly, to keep up the person’s level of immunity. The type of vaccination given each year changes slightly, as this is the ‘best guess’ vaccination to cover the likely type of influenza virus that will be most common that year.

• It is possible to pass on the infection the day before you develop the symptoms yourself. You can also pass on the infection until the day after your fever has disappeared.