Download WHAT`S TRUE ABOUT THE FLU Infectious Diseases Society of

WHAT’S TRUE ABOUT THE FLU Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)  What it is: Influenza (flu) is a contagious viral respiratory infection that
typically, although not always, causes fever (100-102° F for several
days), severe aches and pains, exhaustion, coughing, sore throat,
congestion and a runny nose.  What it’s not: o A cold – Cold symptoms are similar, such as congestion, runny
nose and cough, but rarely include fever (and very mild, if so),
severe aches and pains and almost never exhaustion. Flu
symptoms typically are much more intense than cold
symptoms and may start more suddenly. o A stomach illness – Although people often say they have the
“stomach flu” there is no such thing. While vomiting and
diarrhea occasionally are symptoms of the flu – more likely in
children than adults – severe gastrointestinal symptoms
typically suggest a bacterial or different type of viral infection
(such as norovirus), rather than the flu, particularly if they are
not accompanied by classic flu symptoms.  The flu can be serious: If you get the flu, stay home, get plenty of rest
and drink lots of fluids. Young children, seniors and otherswith risk
factors – including asthma, pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, and
lung disease – should contact a health care provider right away
because they are at higher risk for serious complications from the flu,
including bronchitis and pneumonia. It’s important that these people
seek medical advice, because the flu increases the risk of: o Hospitalization o Death (90 percent of deaths occur in people 65 or older during
most flu seasons)  The flu can be prevented: The flu can be prevented by getting a flu
vaccine every year when it becomes available in the fall. See your
provider or find a flu vaccination location near you by visiting flu.gov.
The vaccine takes two weeks to take full effect, but the flu season can
last as late as May, so it’s not too late to get vaccinated. The current
vaccine is a good match for the type of viruses causing the flu this year.
The types of vaccines available are: o The flu shot (including the regular shot, the high-dose shot for
people 65 and older and the intradermal shot, which uses a
smaller needle) o The nasal-spray vaccine (for healthy people 2 to 49 years old)  The flu can be treated: Two medications – oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and
zanamivir (Relenza) – can lessen the symptoms and shorten the
duration of the flu, especially if they are taken within 48 hours of the
onset of symptoms. It is important that physicians prescribe these
medications for patients with confirmed or suspected influenza who
have severe, complicated, or progressive illness; who require
hospitalization; or who are at greater risk for serious influenza-related
complications. Oseltamivir is now approved for use in infants two weeks
and older.  This flu season is a bad one: All regions in the United States except one
(which includes California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii) are reporting high levels
of influenza activity, and 5.6 percent of medical visits for the last week of
December were for the flu, more than twice the typicalrate, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is not completely
understood why this is such a bad year, but the predominant strain of flu this
year is influenza A (H3N2), which tends to be more severe.