influenza

i am suffering from it. i choose to call it influeza rather than its more commonly used and shorter form, the flu.
here's some of my thoughts on the subject.
it used to be such a common thing to die from back in the day, even less than a century ago right? and certainly when playing Oregon Trail - on of the best games ever, or so it would seem at the time - many a times did my wagonmates and i die from it.
so how come you never hear of it these days? oh sure, the occasional old person and young child or baby might, and it is certainly sad, i imagin devastaing to those who love that person, just as death in any form would be.
but how many times have you gotten the flu, thought, "well this sucks" deal with feeling like shit for days and days, but don't do much else about it? or is it just me? i don't recall anyone i know getting the flu, no matter how bad, and be worried about their life because of it.

did somehow merely shortening the word itself make it less potent? how can that be?
i get that medicine has come a long way and all, so that treatment would improve ones chances of fighting off any illness, but what about those of us who don't seek treatment of any kind?
maybe i shouldn't be reading books so much that talk to times past?
maybe i should just be thankful that it isn't the threat it once was?

and, maybe, being that i am certainly not expert on the subject, they aren't even the same disease.
maybe the modern flu really is just weaker, far less potent, distant cousin of the influenza.