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Old 04-25-2009, 11:01 PM   #8
Pie
Gone and done
 
Join Date: Sep 2001
Posts: 4,808
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elspode View Post
This stat would seem to indicate to me that those who are more active and likely to be out and about socializing are at greater risk. Or I could be completely wrong. The stat as posted doesn't really reveal whether or not this age range is dying more than younger or older people who have been exposed, or if there are simply more members of that demographic who have contracted the flu.
In a lot of cases, the immune response of the host itself is what is deadly in a flu infection. Those with the most aggressive immune response are young and middle-aged adults. Children and the elderly can squeak by.

The same was true for bird flu.
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per·son \ˈpər-sən\ (noun) - an ephemeral collection of small, irrational decisions
The fun thing about evolution (and science in general) is that it happens whether you believe in it or not.
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