Facts You Should Know About The Flu

The influenza virus causes the flu and it is a respiratory infection that attacks the respiratory system including the nose, throat, bronchial tubes and your lungs. The flu is NOT the stomach virus although some people do have nausea, diarrhea and vomiting along with respiratory symptoms when they have the flu. Anyone of any age can get the flu, newborns and the elderly and every age in-between. The flu can be very mild or it can be serious even fatal. In 1918 there was a flu pandemic (worldwide infection) that killed approximately 50 million people. As many as 36,000 people die each year from the flu in just the United States alone. The deaths are from complications from the flu.

When a person first gets the flu they may think they are coming down with a cold except the symptoms come on suddenly and they feel as if they have been hit by a truck or so people usually say. You usually feel much worse when you have the flu than when you have a cold.

Common symptoms of the flu include:

· Fever over 101 F in adults, and often as high as 103 to 105 F in children
· Chills and or sweats
· Headache
· Dry cough
· Muscular aches and stiffness, especially in your back, arms and legs
· Fatigue and weakness
· Nasal congestion (stuffy nose or runny nose)
· Loss of appetite
· Diarrhea and vomiting especially in children

It is important for young children or anyone with a chronic illness to see a doctor if they may have the flu within the first 48 hours so that they have receive antiviral medications which can prevent more serious complications. Anyone who has the flu and then develops a severe cough or brings up phlegm, has a high fever or experiences sharp pains when they breath deeply may have bacterial pneumonia which would require antibiotics to get better.

Because the flu is transmitted by air it is important to always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. The flu can be very contagious even before you know you have the flu so you could be passing it on when you cough or sneeze before you come down with the symptoms yourself.

Type A which is responsible for the deadly influenza pandemics usually strike every 10 to 40 years. Type A and B flu viruses are constantly changing and are the more serious types of flu. Type C flu is the milder flu.

Anyone is at risk for the flu but especially if a infant, child, over age 50, resident of a nursing home or long-term care facility, hospital, have a weakened immune system, or are pregnant during flu season (fall and winter), are in close contact with infants and young children.

Tags: influenza virus, flu, symptoms of flu