| |
Basic InformationLookupsLatest NewsListeria Outbreak Linked to Deli Meats, Cheeses in 4 StatesWill You Get Fat? Genetic Test May TellFood Allergies Can Strike at Any AgeWhy a Knee Replacement Can Go BadExperimental Blood Thinner May Help Prevent Stroke, Without the Bleeding RiskBuyer Beware When Purchasing Medical Test StripsEgg Allergy? Don't Let That Stop You From Getting VaccinatedGene Therapy Might Prove a Cure for 'Bubble Boy' DiseaseTwo Lives Saved in Rare 'Paired' Liver DonationHealth Tip: Stopping NosebleedsKids Can Get UTIs, TooWhy More Patients Are Surviving an AneurysmCommon Diabetes Drug May Also Shield Kidneys, Heart'Added Sugars' Label on Foods Could Save Many LivesCPAP Brings Longer Life for Obese People With Sleep Apnea: StudyYoung Athletes Need to Be Sidelined After Bout of MonoPre-Cut Melons at Kroger, Walmart, Other Stores May Carry SalmonellaCDC Says Ground Beef Is Source of E. coli Outbreak, Cases Rise to 109AHA News: Is Yoga Heart-Healthy? It's No Stretch to See Benefits, Science SuggestsFDA Orders Label Warning on Alcohol Use With 'Female Viagra'Could Treating Gut Bacteria Help Ease Autism Symptoms?Hospital Privacy Curtains Could Be Breeding Ground for GermsItchy Skin Common Alongside Kidney DiseaseMany Misdiagnosed With MSVehicle Exhaust Drives Millions of New Asthma Cases AnnuallyNFL Retirees Help Scientists Develop Early Test for Brain Condition CTEMigraine Pain Linked to Raised Suicide RiskMore Time Spent in Sports, Faster Healing From ConcussionHealth Tip: Thermometer OptionsStill No Source as E. Coli Outbreak Grows to 96 Cases Across 5 States: CDCClimate Change Could Worsen Sneezin' SeasonEvenity Approved for Osteoporotic WomenNYC Declares Public Health Emergency Over Brooklyn Measles OutbreakInsurers' Denials of Opioid Coverage Spurs CDC to Clarify GuidelinesImmune-Targeted Treatment Might Help Prevent Peanut Allergy CrisesCluster of Dangerous Antibiotic-Resistant E. Coli Infection Spotted in NYCHealth Tip: Managing Chronic MigrainesFor One Man, Too Much Vitamin D Was DisastrousCDC Investigates Mystery E. Coli Outbreak Affecting 5 StatesBlacks Live Longer, Not Necessarily Better, With ALSIs It Heartburn or Something Else?Lungs, Hearts Infected With Hepatitis C Still OK for TransplantUnhealthy Diets May Be World's Biggest KillerSevere 'Mono' Infection May Raise Risk for Chronic Fatigue SyndromeUnder-the-Tongue Allergy Pills Replacing Shots for ManyFish Slime Could Hold Key to Beating 'Superbug' InfectionsPet Hedgehogs Still Spreading Salmonella, CDC WarnsCimzia Approved for Inflammatory ArthritisSpring Is the Sneezing SeasonU.S. Flu Season Ebbing, but Cases Still Widespread: CDC Questions and AnswersVideosScreening for Heart DiseaseWhat is Lupus and Who Gets It?Could You Have PrediabetesDifferent Types of Anemia Resist Taking Unnecessary AntibioticsTaking Energy Drinks to Heart Weathering MigrainesCrohn's vs Ulcerative Colitis Six Things You Need to Know About EbolaHeadache or Migraine?Preventing Pre-Diabetes Getting Radiation During Breast Cancer SurgeryWhat You Don’t Know About AFib May Hurt YouAntibiotics Aren’t Always The AnswerAdult Onset Asthma Healthy Eating for a DiabeticYounger People Slower to get Diabetes Diagnosis Recognizing Type 1 & Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes: Know Your NumbersCold or Allergy? What You REALLY Need to Know about EbolaSignals You May be Ready for Joint Replacement Slowing the Spread of Superbugs TelehealthIs it Anxiety or a Heart Condition?E.Coli FactsDiabetes Doesn’t Disappear Get Smart About Antibiotics: For Patients and Parents Infectious Diseases A-Z: MeaslesBrain Nourishment to Prevent StrokesWhen Do You Need an Antibiotic? Are You Having a Heart Attack? The Journey of Palliative Care: Putting Quality Back Into Life The Difference Between Bronchitis and PneumoniaDiabetes- What You Don't Know Could Hurt YouWhy Second Opinions Are Good for PatientsFollow Your Gut: Microbiomes and AgingTreating Migraines Reading the Stroke SignsBelly Fat Danger Revealed What’s Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?Prevention and Control of Skin Cancer Tackling ConcussionsCarpal Tunnel: Who Gets It? Asthma 101 Health and Wellness: Taking a Stand Against Sitting Back Pain: Oh My Aching Back Itching for Answers: Testing Your Allergy IQ Keeping Kidneys Safe - Know How Medicines Affect the Kidneys The Role of Family History in Breast Cancer What is Diabetes Do your part to stop the spread of flu at home Could You Have Prediabetes? Are You at Risk for Kidney Disease? I Have High Cholesterol.. What Should I Do?What Does "Bad" Cholesterol Do?Five Things to Know About MeaslesCeliac Disease 101 - An OverviewAsthma in Children: Working Together to Get it Under ControlSeven Ways to Improve your Arthritis PainTop 3 Tips for a Healthy Heart in the New YearDo your Symptoms Add Up to DiabetesBreakdown on AFib Non-Smokers Getting Lung Cancer Connecting with a Cardiologist A Hot Treatment for AsthmaWho Needs a Flu Vaccine?Keeping Up with Heart FailureTurning the Immune System Against Lung Cancer Dealing with Menopause, Naturally Managing Chronic Disease Pays Off Beyond the Data -- Dengue and Chikungunya in Our Backyard: Preventing Aedes Mosquito-Borne Diseases Peanut Allergies: A Bigger Threat to Kids with Asthma Liver Disease and Anxiety and DepressionImproving Muscle HealthStroke Prevention Diagnosis and Treatment Options Webinar Cancer Clinical Trials: What is a Clinical Trial? Zika VirusYoung People May Need Colonoscopy Working to Eliminate Measles Around the Globe Colorectal cancer: A disease of development Huntington Disease Facts about the Measles (MMR) VaccineLove Your Heart. Everyday Tips to Keep Your Heart Healthy and Strong Breast Cancer Risk And Lifestyle Strategies to Reduce ItDoes my Child Have Asthma and How Should it be Treated? Superbugs Moving From Hospitals to HomesInfectious Disease Expert Explains MERSNew Treatment Option for Women with Advanced Breast CancerAn Evidence-Based Approach to Youth Sports ConcussionsHow to Prevent and Detect Skin CancerConcussion Guide for Parents How Your Immune System WorksHow the Digestive System WorksLiving with Lactose Intolerance Avian Flu Faster Healing for Abdominal Surgery The Road to Zero: CDC’s Response to the West African Ebola Epidemic, 2014–2015 Avoiding Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke Preventing Salmonella and E. coliAdults: Do You Know What Vaccines You Need?Seasonal AllergiesGame Change in Treating Heart Attack Beyond the Data Update -- Climate Change and HealthIncreased Rates of Pregnancy Complications in Women with Celiac DiseaseBehavioral Health Response to EbolaLearning & cognitive difficulties in children: Challenges after a head injury, including concussion Low Testosterone Often Spells Low Bone Density WHO: Prevent hepatitis Allergy OverloadVaccines for Lyme Disease - Past, Present, and FutureBecoming a Living Liver Donor: Evaluation, Risks, and Recovery Breaking Down Hip Fractures Working on Your Back Pain The Heartburn-Asthma Connection Stop the Spread of Antibiotic ResistanceVaccinations and ImmunizationsInfluenza, an Unpredictable Threat Sport Concussions in Youth: Community Guide for Education, Treatment and Research Hyper-Hypo Thyroid, What’s the Diff? Reading the Warning Signs of Parkinson’s Older Americans Preventing DiabetesAsthma UpdateGet Vaccinated and Prevent MeaslesFamily History and Heart Disease Breast Feeding and Gluten Introduction: What Research Tells UsRashes: A Brief Overview of the Different Causes Back to School: Sick Kids - Should They Stay or Should They Go? Preventive Cardiology Pumping up Heart Warnings on Pain Relievers Pre-Diabetes a Chance for PreventionCancer - What does it mean that a chemical causes an increase in cancer risk?CDC Urges Sepsis Awareness Managing Celiac Disease Through Diet Learn the ABCs of Ticks with Dr. Bobbi Pritt New Stem Cell Therapy for Crohn’s FistulaMale Urethral Stricture Disease: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment Trends and Racial Differences in Celiac DiseaseObesity Can Have Implications Specific to Women Zika Virus 101Coping With Stress: Cognitive-Behavioral Stress Reduction What are the Risk Factors for Kidney Disease? Can Hypnotics Help Celiac Disease Patients Get a Good Night’s Sleep?Aspirin 411: What the New Guidelines Mean Kids With Asthma Who Are Exposed To Secondhand Smoke Have Twice As Many Hospitalizations Ankle Sprains—Pain Free Does Not Mean Normal Sport Concussions in YouthGenetics For Preventive Cardiology ‘Creeping Fat’ May Contribute to IBDWhat’s Triggering Your Allergies? Is There a Link Between Celiac Disease and Heart Disease?Systematic approach helps prevent ACL injury in athletesLupus: Your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs Psoriasis and beyond: targeting the IL-17 pathway A Review of Treatments Available for Celiac DiseaseHow to handwash? With soap and water Disparities in early childhood obesity: Risk factors and possible solutionsRecognize the Signs and Symptoms of StrokeBone Up on Calcium Lose That Burning Feeling (Heartburn)Thyroid Nodules and Thyroid Cancer: What You Need to KnowZika virus - Questions and answersHeartburn or Something More Serious?Microcephaly and Zika virus infection - Questions and answers Celiac Disease: What Is a Gluten-Free Diet Hepatitis C Lessons on a ChalkboardZika Virus: Four Myths and What You Need to Know Is It a Cold or Allergies? What is Lupus and Who Gets It? 5 tips to keep your gut microbiome healthyLungs & Respiratory System How Your Thyroid Impacts Your Weight Don't Underestimate the Dangers of Heat Is it cold, flu or allergies? How Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Are Related Kids and Common Infections LinksBook Reviews |
| |
Seasonal Influenza Q&ACenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)What is seasonal influenza (flu)?
Seasonal influenza, commonly called “the flu,” is caused by influenza viruses, which infect the respiratory tract (i.e., the nose, throat, lungs). Unlike many other viral respiratory infections, such as the common cold, the flu can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications in many people. Some people, such as older people, young children, pregnant women, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk for serious flu complications. The best way to prevent seasonal flu is by getting a flu vaccination each year.
Flu vaccines protect against the influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. Everyone 6 months and older should get vaccinated against the flu every year. Get vaccinated soon after vaccine becomes available in your community, if possible by October. Immunity sets in about two weeks after vaccination.
What are the symptoms of the flu?
Fever, chills, fatigue, body aches, sore throat, and headache are common symptoms of flu. Not everyone with flu will have a fever. The flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly.
How does the flu spread?
The main way that influenza viruses are thought to spread is from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes.
If I got the flu or the flu vaccine last year, will I have immunity against the flu this year?
Not necessarily. Several studies conducted over different flu seasons and involving different influenza viruses and types of flu vaccine have shown that a person’s protective antibody against influenza viruses declines over the course of a year after vaccination and infection, particularly in the elderly. So a flu shot given during one season, or an infection acquired during one season, may not provide adequate protection through later seasons.
The decline in protective antibody against the flu that occurs after vaccination or after flu infection may be influenced by several factors, including a person’s age, the antigen used in the vaccine, and the person’s health situation (for example, chronic health conditions that weaken the immune system may have an impact).
This decline in protective antibody has the potential to leave some people more vulnerable to infection, illness and possibly serious complications from the same influenza viruses a year after being vaccinated or infected.
So, for optimal protection against influenza, annual vaccination is recommended regardless of past vaccination status or flu infection.
Does the flu have complications?
Yes. Some of the complications caused by flu include bacterial pneumonia, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions, such as congestive heart failure, asthma, or diabetes. Children may get sinus problems and ear infections as complications from the flu.
How do I find out if I have the flu?
It is very difficult to distinguish the flu from other viral or bacterial causes of respiratory illnesses on the basis of symptoms alone. There are tests available to diagnose flu.
Do other respiratory viruses circulate during flu season?
In addition to flu viruses, several other respiratory viruses also can circulate during flu season and can cause symptoms and illness similar to those seen with flu infection. These non-flu viruses include rhinovirus (one cause of the "common cold") and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which is the most common cause of severe respiratory illness in young children as well as a leading cause of death from respiratory illness in those aged 65 years and older.
How soon will I get sick if I am exposed to the flu?
The time from when a person is exposed to flu virus to when symptoms begin is about 1 to 4 days, with an average of about 2 days.
How long is a person with flu virus contagious?
Most healthy adults may be able to infect other people beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. Children may pass the virus for longer than 7 days. Symptoms start 1 to 4 days after the virus enters the body.
Can the flu be treated?
Yes. There are influenza antiviral drugs that can be used to treat flu illness.
Is the “stomach flu” really the flu?
Many people use the term “stomach flu” to describe illnesses with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. These symptoms can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria or even parasites. While vomiting, diarrhea, and being nauseous or “sick to your stomach” can sometimes be related to the flu — more commonly in children than adults — these problems are rarely the main symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.
| 
