Flu 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 the flu. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of the flu in this video.

Take Action

Get plenty of rest & drink fluids
Avoid aspirin
Severe symptoms may require seeing a doctor
Have a yearly flu vaccine if your doctor approves

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Sue McGladerry. I'm the medical director from FirstMed Centers in Budapest, Hungary and I'd like to give you some information about flu. This is a contagious infection of the nose, throat, and the lungs caused by the influenza virus. The symptoms include things like an abrupt onset of fever, body aches, chills, headache, nausea and lack of energy. The fever usually last for about one or two days but sometimes it can last for as long as five days. There may be are the symptoms from the flu virus including those of cold, croup, sore throat, ear infection, or even pneumonia. Influenza A virus usually arrives in the late winter or early spring. Influenza B can come at any time of the year. The flu virus spreads through the air and is very contagious, often affecting whole communities within the space of a few weeks, for example in schools and offices. Of the many people infected each year, only a small percent will suffer complications. The highest risk is in the elderly, children from six months to two years of age and also pregnant women. People with chronic heart, lung or kidney conditions, those with diabetes or weakened immune system are also more risk. How do we diagnose flu? Usually, it includes a thorough physical exam and possibly a rapid flu test if the diagnosis is not clear. Sometimes it's also necessary to make things like a chest x-ray and labs to exclude other problems such as pneumonia. What about treatment? Most important is to get plenty of rests and lots of fluids. Medicines are needed for symptomatic relief, things like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to lower fever and relief the muscle aches and pains. It's important to avoid aspirin especially in teenagers and children. If flu is diagnosed within 48 hours of the symptoms starting, an antiviral medication given orally may help to shorten the length of the symptoms but only by about one day, so antivirals are usually not given unless someone is particularly at risk of developing severe disease. In most healthy people, flu goes away within seven to ten days without causing too many problems. You do need to see your doctor though, if you're in a high risk group or if you have particularly severe symptoms of flu that concerns you. What about prevention of flu? It's a good idea to have a yearly flu vaccine given in full. You need to check with your doctor to see whether that's the right thing for you.