Individually treating the flu is a moderate task; however, preventing an outbreak of pandemic flu is a much larger task. A disease or illness becomes a pandemic when it spreads at an accelerated rate, limiting the ability of medical professionals...
Mammals and birds harbor flu viruses; avian strains typically are passed from aquatic birds or ducks to chickens or pigs, which are intermediate hosts. People then pass human influenza to these hosts, where the viruses combine to produce a new...
The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 has been dubbed "the mother of all pandemics" by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because it remains one of the most lethal outbreaks of infectious disease in human history,...
Swine flu is the common name for the novel strain of influenza virus now known as H1N1. According to the World Health Organization, swine flu is a pandemic with laboratory-confirmed cases in more than 200 countries and linked to more than 12,000...
Influenza is a negative RNA-strand type virus that can be classified as virus strand types A, B and C. Influenza is a highly contagious virus that in the winter months causes many respiratory tract infections. The most serious are the...
The H1N1 virus is a subtype of the influenza virus. The H1N1 strain of influenza was responsible for the swine influenza, or swine flu, disease that affected countries all over the world in 2009. In order to prevent the spread of the diseases,...
The Spanish influenza pandemic occurred between 1918 and 1919. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this flu virus infected more than 500 million people and killed about 50 million people around the world.
The seasonal flu is common and very serious disease. According to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 200,000 people are diagnosed with the flu yearly and nearly 36,000 of them die from the condition. The flu virus generally infects the...
Bird flu, also known as avian flu or avian influenza, in humans is caused by influenza A virus specific to birds. The disease derives its name from the fact that birds infected with influenza A virus transmit it to humans, causing avian flu....
Although new variations of influenza, or the flu, arise every year, there are only three classifications of the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: A, B or C viral infections. Avery form of the flu, including avian or...
Several different yet closely related viruses cause influenza, or the flu. Three influenza virus groups---types A, B and C---belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses, which includes a variety of viruses that infect birds and mammals....
Swine flu is the common name for the novel influenza strain H1N1 that was first identified in the U.S. and Mexico in March 2009. According to the World Health Organization, swine flu is a pandemic with culture-proved cases reported in more than...
It is believed that the Spanish Flu originated in Tibet or China where it underwent a genetic shift that made it more dangerous than previous strains. The flu was spread by soldiers entering France and then moving into Spain. This strain of...
Vicks VapoRub combines camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol with other ingredients to form a topical ointment, or salve. The product, now made by Procter & Gamble, has been manufactured since the 1800s, once marketed as a cure for flu, croup...
H1N1, also known as the swine flu, is a strain of type A influenza that began infecting people in 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. In June 2009 the World Health Organization declared that this new strain of the...
Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a type of respiratory infection that can infect both animals and humans. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, flu viruses are classified according to their protein...
The first recorded human infection with avian flu was in Hong Kong in 1997 with 18 confirmed cases and six deaths. Later outbreaks have been confirmed in the Southeast Asian countries Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam and later in Egypt...
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines key terms used in the discussion of pandemic diseases: "A disease epidemic occurs when there are more cases of that disease than normal. A pandemic is a worldwide epidemic of a disease." Scientific...
Swine flu is the common name for the novel influenza strain H1N1. According to the World Health Organization, the swine flu is a pandemic with laboratory-confirmed cases identified in more than 200 countries and linked to more than 12,000 deaths....
The avian influenza outbreak has, according to the Mayo Clinic, killed millions of birds (both domestic and wild), and has led to a fairly low number of human deaths. In general, the people that have become infected have had close contact with...
The enters for Disease Control breaks influenza strains into three categories: A, B and C. Within each of these, there may be variations and subtypes of flu that can mutate and infect people. The classifications separate the flu strains according...
The swine flu is a pandemic with laboratory-confirmed cases identified in more than 200 countries, according to the World Health Organization. Swine flu, also known as H1N1 flu, produces a spectrum of symptoms ranging from mild upper respiratory...
Swine flu, or H1N1, made its first human appearance in the United States in April 2009. It is a novel form of influenza that differs from the seasonal flu. Within the influenza family, swine flu is given the title "influenza A." According to the...
The term "flu" refers to any of several acute, febrile, highly contagious viral diseases marked especially by respiratory or intestinal symptoms. RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, commonly known as influenza virus, are held responsible...
The American Academy of Family Physicians advises that colds and flu are two separate conditions, even though the symptoms are similar. Both are caused by viruses. Flu symptoms are generally more intense, appear more suddenly and may involve...
There are several hand sanitizer formulas; all contain alcohol and some contain the antibacterial agent triclosan. During the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommended frequent hand washing to minimize the chance...
According to the World Health Organization, the swine flu is a pandemic with laboratory-confirmed cases identified in more than 200 countries. Swine flu, also known as H1N1 flu, produces a spectrum of disease ranging from mild upper respiratory...
When the swine flu struck in 2009, some hockey players found themselves in the middle of the scare. The hard-hitting game of hockey often puts players in close contact with teammates and opponents;. due to this close contact, many players found...
Five to 20 percent of the U.S. population is infected with influenza each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to World Health Organization epidemiological records there has been an average of three flu...
Bird flu has led to the deaths of hundreds of millions of wild and domestic birds and to a small number of human deaths. Bird flu remains difficult for humans to contract. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of bird flu in...
