The flu is a virus that comes around every year around winter time. There have been many bad seasons over the years, but is the 2017-2018 season on the path to becoming one of the worst?

This particular flu has claimed the lives of many people in the United States and it's still running rampant across the nation. Over the weeks, I have become curious about this particular flu season and I want to find out why this strain of the flu has become so hard to treat.

I sat down with a Biology professor at JSU who has a specialty in Microbiology to find out more about the flu. I want to thank Mr. Richard Watkins for taking the time to sit down and talk to me about the flu.

Q: Is there the opportunity that this can become a pandemic? Or do you already think we have reached that point? Why or why not?

A: We have not reached that point. It probably won't reach that point. It is an epidemic, but rates are leveling off.

Q: What is causing this particular strain to be so bad?

A: Mutations are making the vaccines less effective.

Q: What can we do to stop the flu from becoming worse than what it already is?

A: Common sense. Stay home with fevers. Sharing is not caring in this situation.

Q: Do you think there is potential for this season to become one of the worst seasons in history?

A: No. It will go down in history but it is nowhere near the 1918 pandemic and the 2009 pandemic.

Q: I remember the last pandemic being in 2009. Is there a pattern that the virus follows? If so, could it be a gateway to making more drugs effective?

A: Anagenic shifts cause problems every 10 or so years.

The flu will always be around and it'll always change. It's up to us to be aware on how to keep from spreading it.