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Seasonal
Flu
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| Information
courtesy of the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention |
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The
seasonal flu is contagious
and can cause mild to severe illness;
and in some cases can lead to death.
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The
timing and severity of this year’s
flu season is uncertain.
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Type
A and B flu viruses cause epidemics in
the United States every year.
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The
symptoms for the common cold and the
seasonal flu are similar.
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Get
vaccinated to protect yourself from
the flu. If you do get sick, follow
our treatment advice. |
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Flu
Viruses
There are
three types of flu viruses: A, B and C.
The A and B viruses cause
epidemics (widespread outbreaks in a
country) of infection in people every year
in the United States.
- Type C
infections cause mild respiratory
illness and are not thought to cause
epidemics.
- Type A
viruses are divided into subtypes.
Subtypes of type A that have been
found in people worldwide include
H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 viruses.
- Flu
viruses are constantly changing.
A global flu pandemic (worldwide
outbreak) can happen if three
conditions are met:
- A
new subtype of type A virus is
introduced into the human
population.
- The
virus causes serious illness in
humans.
- The
virus can spread easily from
person-to-person in a sustained
manner.
- The
H1N1 (Swine) Flu met all three
conditions and caused a worldwide
outbreak. In late spring, the WHO
declared that a H1N1 (Swine) flu
pandemic is underway.
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Flu
Symptoms and Cold vs. Flu
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| Common
Symptoms |
Possible
Symptoms |
- fever
(usually high)
- tiredness
(can be extreme)
- headache
- dry
cough
- sore
throat
- runny
or stuffy nose
- muscle
aches
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These
symptoms may occur, but are more
likely in children than adults:
Note
that these additional symptoms may
also be a sign of the H1N1 (Swine)
flu.
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Is it
a Cold or the Flu?
Flu and
the common cold are both respiratory
illnesses, but they are caused by
different viruses.
- Flu and
the common cold have similar symptoms
(e.g. fever, sore throat). It can be
difficult to tell the difference
between them.
- Your
doctor can give you a flu test within
the first few days of your illness to
determine whether you have the flu.
- In
general, the flu is worse than the
common cold.
- Symptoms
such as fever, body aches, extreme
tiredness, and dry cough are more
common and intense with the flu.
- Colds
are usually milder than the flu.
People with colds are more likely to
have a runny or stuffy nose.
- Colds
generally do not result in serious
health problems, such as pneumonia,
bacterial infections, or
hospitalizations.
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