Each year, approximately 3 to 5 million people throughout the world develop severe symptoms of the influenza, or flu, virus, according to the World Health Organization. People who develop the flu can experience fever, muscle aches, fatigue,...
The flu shot generates controversy every year because it is a very public subject and is administered to so many people. When a drug is administered to such a large population, all possible side effects will most likely appear. Serious illness or...
Of the 5 to 20 percent of Americans who contract the influenza virus each year, approximately 36,000 die from complications, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The flu shot may help decrease a person's risk of developing the...
The flu virus mutates frequently, so flu shot components change seasonally. Scientists can never be certain which flu strains will affect a given geographic region. To combat this, vaccine manufacturers use several different flu strains in the...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved five injectible vaccines (flu shots) for seasonal influenza during the 2009 to 2010 flu season. While most people will benefit from the flu shot, it is contraindicated in people with certain...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, abbreviated CDC, describes the seasonal flu shot as an "inactivated vaccine." This simply means that the shot itself contains a killed version of the influenza, or flu, virus. Specifically, each...
Each year, 25 to 50 million flu cases are reported in the United States, which lead to an estimated 30,000 deaths, according to FluFacts.com. Getting a flu shot or vaccination can help to significantly reduce a person's risk of infection by these...
Many doctors and medical experts recommend that individuals over six months of age receive the flu vaccine annually to reduce the risk of contracting the flu virus. Flu shots normally begin appearing at doctor's offices, hospitals, clinics and...
According to the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, all prescription drug products are required to include certain categories of information in their product inserts, also known as professional labeling information. The purpose of this is to...
In its "Take 3" Actions to Fight the Flu campaign, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put "take time to get a flu vaccine" at the top of the list. According to the CDC, the flu shot can reduce the risk of flu by 70 to 90 percent...
The seasonal flu causes runny noses, fevers, aches, pains and fatigue for its sufferers. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses that the best way to reduce the risk of acquiring the seasonal flu is to receive the seasonal flu...
The flu is a contagious respiratory infection that can produce anything from a mild illness to death. Getting the flu shot can reduce your risk of getting the flu by 70 to 90 percent. However, the vaccine is not for everyone, especially people...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 5 to 20 percent of Americans are infected by influenza viruses each year. Influenza produces a spectrum of disease, ranging from mild, self-limited respiratory disease to life-threatening...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2008, seasonal flu results in more than 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths each year. Getting a yearly seasonal flu vaccine, the CDC says, is the first and most important...
Influenza is a largely seasonal virus that is most common in the winter and spring. Flu shots, which protect against the strains of flu that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) anticipates to be most likely each year, are...
The flu is a contagious respiratory disease caused by infection with an influenza virus. Each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu affects 5 to 20 percent of Americans. Some people, such as the elderly,...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges Americans to get vaccinated against influenza as the first step toward protecting themselves from the disease. Even if the flu shot does not prevent you from getting the flu, it may reduce...
Many companies have spent a lot of money attempting to convince the public of the necessity of the flu shot, pointing to specific groups as most at risk. However, a number of physicians have taken a stand against the idea, pointing to vitamin D as...
Seasonal flu sidelines millions of Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Your best bet for avoiding this fate is to get a seasonal flu vaccine every year, advises the CDC. The flu shot is safe for...
A flu shot is an inactivated vaccine; that is, it contains a killed version of the virus. It is typically delivered with a needle to the arm, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Within about two weeks of a person...
A flu shot offers protection against influenza, a virus that infects the respiratory system. Common symptoms include high fever, cough, mucus production, body aches, weakness and chills. It can last for a week or longer and is fatal in some cases....
The flu shot is a vaccination used to prevent the development of influenza, a viral infection, within treated patients. This vaccine is provided as an injection or shot within the upper arm and can be administered to patients over the age of 6...
In its "Take 3 Actions to Fight the Flu" campaign, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges people to "take time to get a flu vaccine" as the first step toward reducing the risk of flu. In healthy adults, the flu shot may reduce...
Influenza, or the flu, is a viral infection most commonly caused by influenza A or B viruses. Seasonal flu symptoms are uncomfortable and can include high fever, muscle aches and pain, sore throat, runny nose or cough. Each year, over 20,000...
Influenza, or the flu, is a viral respiratory infection that can lead to serious complications, particularly in young children, the elderly and individuals with other respiratory diseases or weakened immune systems. The flu shot offers protection...
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia reports that "influenza hospitalizes and kills more people in this country [the U.S.] than any other vaccine-preventable disease." Yearly estimates average nearly 200,000 people admitted to hospitals, and...
According to the Food and Drug Administration, more than 40 percent of people who receive the flu shot experience side effects such as injection site pain, a low-grade fever, a cough or a runny nose. These symptoms are almost always mild and...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends annual vaccination against flu for children six months to 19 years. The flu shot is not approved for infants younger than six months and children with certain kinds of allergies....
Flu shots contain deactivated, or killed, flu viruses. For the 2010-2011 flu season, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months be vaccinated against the flu. The trivalent...
Respiratory infections are any infection of the lungs and respiratory tract. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for respiratory infection in this health video.
