Influenza, also known as the flu, is a highly infectious viral infection affecting the respiratory tract. Between 10 and 20 percent of Americans get the flu each year, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Symptoms of the flu...
No one wants to catch a cold or flu. Both are contagious and you need to take steps to prevent infecting others if you are sick. This is especially important in your home where a cold or flu can just keep passing from one family member to another,...
The swine flu virus, also called H1N1, consists of human, bird and swine genetics. It can be found in saliva, eye secretions and mouth secretions. The virus is thought to only be spread from human to human, according to the Centers for Disease...
Bird flu describes strains of influenza that originate from those found in birds. As the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases explains, many wild birds are hosts to strains of influenza (typically type A influenza viruses). These...
The influenza virus, or the flu virus, is easily spread from person to person. The flu is highly contagious and passes from one person to the other through direct contact. One way it can spread is by inhalation. When an infected person coughs or...
The bird flu virus is a type of Influenza A virus. It is usually found in wild birds, in which it causes a very mild infection. Two subtypes, H7 and H5, account for most of the human cases recorded so far. As recently as 2003, a new subtype of the...
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...
Depending upon the type of flu that has infected the body, a person needs to stay in bed and rest. The flu affects many people during different times of the year but most often in the months of October and November. Flu season can require hot...
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...
Flu precautions are quite simple to implement. You can use the same infection control practices that people should follow on a daily basis to prevent catching colds and infections of every kind to help prevent the flu. The Centers for Disease...
During pregnancy, women want to do everything they can to protect themselves and their babies from complications, illness and harm. While the flu may not be a major threat in most healthy people, it can be dangerous for pregnant women. The flu...
The flu, or influenza, is a contagious viral infection of the nose, throat and lungs caused by the influenza virus. Every year, between 5 and 20 percent of Americans will suffer with symptoms of the flu. According to the National Institute of...
Influenza (flu) is a contagious disease that causes a myriad of symptoms and health problems in humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year from the flu, and about ....
No one likes catching the flu, but at some point you are likely to come across the dreaded virus. So, if you've been near a friend with the flu, how long will it take until you get sick? This time period is called "incubation." This is the time...
The flu season can be unpredictable every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We do know that there are ways to prevent the flu, and the specific ways to treat persons with the flu when they get it. There are...
You just sneezed carefully into your crooked elbow so as not to spread germs. But you did not wash your hands because you were not near a sink with soap and water. Next, you picked up a telephone and called a colleague. You may have just...
The flu virus passes by droplets through the air from an infected person to another person or object. The flu virus can be passed through shaking hands, coughing, sneezing or touching a contaminated object. If you touch a contaminated object, the...
When people are feeling ill, they often mistake cold symptoms for flu symptoms. But influenza is a category of viral respiratory illnesses characterized by much more severe symptoms than the common cold causes. Swine flu is a type of influenza...
All flu viruses should be treated seriously as a highly contagious disease, and H1N1 or swine flu is no exception. Flu.gov states that each year more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people die from flu complications. Fortunately,...
The flu is a viral infection, not bacterial. It can be passed to others by coughing, sneezing, shaking hands or touching germs on a phone or door knob. Healthy adults are contagious for about 5 days after flu symptoms develop. Recognize the...
Influenza, or flu, is a common infection of the respiratory tract that affects people of all ages. It can cause severe symptoms, particularly in young children, the elderly and the sick. People catch the flu by coming into contact with air...
The influenza virus is a highly-contagious illness that can be easily transmitted from person to person through breathing contaminated air--for instance, air that a sick person has coughed or sneezed into. If you come into contact with a person...
Symptoms of swine flu, or H1N1, include cough, sore throat, fatigue, chills, body aches and headaches. Only your doctor can make a definitive diagnosis. There are ways to decrease the likelihood of catching this illness, but if you do get it, it's...
The flu is a highly contagious virus that is easily spread through contact with respiratory droplets from infected individuals. Common symptoms of the flu include fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, a sore throat and a runny or stuffy nose....
The term "swine flu" is somewhat misleading, because the current H1N1 influenza spreading throughout the population is not actually spread by swine. H1N1 influenza became termed as swine flu because some of the genes that it contains are similar...
The swine flu, or H1N1 flu, causes an infection in humans similar to the seasonal flu. H1N1 flu spreads by the same methods that the regular flu spreads and it generally causes a mild infection. The remedies for swine flu consist of treating the...
You may take your toothbrush for granted, giving it only a perfunctory rinse and shake when you're finished brushing. Taking better care of your toothbrush requires only a few extra seconds every day, and the time is well-spent, as toothbrushes...
The Spanish flu was an H1N1 virus related to the 2009 swine flu, but the 1918 pandemic was caused by a much more lethal form. One-fifth of the world's population became infected and 50 to 100 million people died, more than from any other illness,...
The swine flu, also known as H1N1, first showed up in the United States in April 2009. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization, or WHO, declared a pandemic of H1N1 flu as the virus began spreading quickly around the world. Swine flu's...
Lyme disease is an infection spread by ticks, with symptoms including a rash and flu-like symptoms. Learn about the best way to prevent Lyme disease in this health video.
Influenza, more commonly referred to as the flu, is a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system, including your nose, throat, bronchial tubes and lungs. The flu should not be taken lightly. Thousands of people die of complications due to...
