Flu

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Flu

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Overview
Flu (influenza) is a respiratory infection
caused by a number of viruses. The viruses pass
through the air and enter your
body through your nose or mouth. Between 5%
and 20% of people in the U.S. get

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Overview
the flu each year. The flu can be serious or even
deadly for elderly people,
newborn babies and people with certain chronic
illnesses.
Symptoms of the flu come on suddenly and are
worse than those of the common cold. They may
include:


Overview
Body or
muscle aches
Chills
Cough
Fever
Headache


Overview
Sore throat
Is it a cold or the
flu? Colds rarely cause a fever or headaches. Flu
almost never causes an upset
stomach. And "stomach flu" isn't really flu at
all, but gastroenteritis.


Overview
The main way to keep from getting the flu is
to get a yearly flu vaccine. If you get the flu, your
health care provider may
prescribe medicine to help your body fight the
infection and lessen symptoms.


Symptoms
Influenza (also known as the flu) is a
contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses.
It can cause mild
to severe illness, and at times can lead to death.
The flu is different


Symptoms
from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly.
People who have the flu
often feel some or all of these symptoms:
-- Fever* or feeling feverish/chills
-- Cough
-- Sore throat


Symptoms
-- Runny or stuffy nose
-- Muscle or body aches
-- Headaches
-- Fatigue (tiredness)
-- Some people may have vomiting and
diarrhea, though this is more common in children
than adults.


Symptoms
* It's important to note that not everyone with flu
will have a fever.


Diagnoses
Usually, healthcare providers diagnose
the flu on the basis of whether it is epidemic in the
community and
whether the person's complaints fit the current
pattern of symptoms.


Diagnoses
Healthcare providers rarely use laboratory tests to
identify the virus
during an epidemic. Health
officials, however, monitor certain U.S.
health clinics and do laboratory tests to determine
which type of flu
virus is responsible for the epidemic.


Treatment
Most people with the flu have mild
illness and do not need medical care or antiviral
drugs. If you get sick
with flu symptoms, in most cases, you should stay
home and avoid


Treatment
contact with other people except to get medical
care.
If, however,
you have symptoms of flu and are very sick or
worried about your
illness, contact your health care provider
(doctor, physician’s


Treatment
assistant, etc.).
Certain people are at greater risk of serious
flu-related complications (including young
children, elderly persons,
pregnant women and people with certain long-
term medical conditions) and


Treatment
this is true both for seasonal flu and novel flu virus
infections. (For
a full list of people at higher risk of flu-related
complications, see People at High Risk of
Developing Flu–Related Complications).
If you are in a high risk group and develop flu
symptoms, it’s best for


Treatment
you to contact your doctor. Remind them about
your high risk status for
flu.
Health care providers will determine whether
influenza
testing and possible treatment are needed. Your
doctor may prescribe


Treatment
antiviral drugs that can treat the flu. These drugs
work better for
treatment the sooner they are started.
There are drugs your doctor may prescribe
for treating the flu called “antivirals.” These drugs
can make you


Treatment
better faster and may also prevent serious
complications. See Treatment - Antiviral Drugs for
more information.
The CDC recommends that you stay home for at
least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to
get medical care or


Treatment
for other things you have to do and no one else
can do for you. (Your
fever should be gone without the use of a fever-
reducing medicine, such
as Tylenol®.) You should stay home from
work, school, travel, shopping,
social events, and public gatherings.


Risks
You can have flu complications if you
get a bacterial infection, which can cause
pneumonia in your weakened
lungs. Pneumonia also can be caused by the flu
virus itself.


Risks
Complications usually appear after you start
feeling better. After a
brief period of improvement, you may suddenly
get these symptoms:
-- High fever
-- Shaking chills
-- Chest pain with each breath


Risks
-- Coughing that produces thick, yellow-greenish-
colored mucus
Pneumonia can be a very serious and sometimes
life-threatening
condition. If you have any of these symptoms, you
should contact your
health care provider immediately to get the
appropriate treatment.


Prevention
The single best way to protect against
the flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. CDC
recommends that everyone 6


Prevention
months and older, especially people at high risk for
developing serious complications from flu, get
vaccinated each season. To learn more, see Key
Facts about Flu Vaccine.
Take everyday preventive actions to stop the
spread of germs:
-- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when
you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash
after you use it.

Prevention
-- Wash your hands often with soap and water. If
soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-
based hand rub.*
-- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Germs spread this way.
-- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
-- If


Prevention
you are sick with flu–like illness, CDC recommends
that you stay home
for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except
to get medical
care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be
gone without the
use of a fever-reducing medicine.)


Prevention
-- While sick, limit contact with others as much as
possible to keep from infecting them.
Also, , which can treat flu illness, may be used in
certain circumstances to prevent the flu.


Flu

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