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Flu Season Tips

We call it the flu, but it also known as influenza.

What is the Flu?

The flu is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses. In the US, there is a flu season that begins every fall and ends every spring. Sometimes a new type of flu virus may emerge that people have no resistance to.When people have no resistance to a flu it can spread more easily from person to person around the world in a very short time, causing serious illness and death.

Flu symptoms:

• Fever
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Extreme tiredness
• Headache
• Muscle aches and pains
• Stomach problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Those who get the flu will usually recover within a week or two and do not require medical treatment. Pandemic flu is different because more people who get it might not recover, even with medical treatment, and people of every age may be a risk of serious illness. As always, the concern for the very young and the very old and the very sick are more of a concern.

Tips for the Flu

• If you have underlying medical problems, call your doctor early in the illness to see if they want to prescribe an antiviral drug.
• Stay home until your fever has been gone for at least 24 hours. That will cut down on the number of people you give this to.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes.
• Keep your hands clean. Use soap and water or hand sanitizer frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing.
• Drink lots of liquids.