The influenza virus is a highly contagious virus that results in a high fever as well as serious complications such as pneumonia in elderly patients, children and immunocompromised individuals. According to MedlinePlus, a publication of the...
Communicable diseases, also referred to an as infectious or contagious diseases, are caused by bacteria organisms, viruses, fungi and protozoa. Communicable diseases such as the common cold, influenza or gastroenteritis are spread by direct...
FluMist is the trade name for a nasal spray influenza vaccine. The vaccine contains live but weakened virus particles that provoke antibody production against influenza but do not cause disease. FluMist is a live, attenuated influenza vaccine or...
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...
Bird flu, also known as avian flu or avian influenza, is an infection by viruses normally residing in healthy, wild birds. Avian influenza, however, can cause serious illness and death in domesticated birds such as chickens, turkeys and ducks,...
World travelers and poultry industry workers may risk exposure to avian influenza, or bird flu. This aggressive strain of the influenza A virus, labeled H5N1 and subtypes, caused the first known spread from birds to humans in 1997, according to...
