What Is The Flu?

The common flu is caused by the influenza virus.  Each year, millions of people get this respiratory illness.  Flu symptoms can appear in as little as 1 day, and on average appear within 2 to 3 days after exposure to the flu virus.  A person with a healthy immune system can have the flu for 7 to 10 days.

The flu virus is spread through little moisture droplets which are released when an infected individual sneezes or coughs.  The flu can be caught when breathing in these infected droplets, or by contact with your hands on common surface areas  such as telephones and door handles, and then touching your face.


Flu Symptoms

Flu symptoms can vary based on the influenza virus and the age an health of the individual.  Most flu symptoms appear within a few days after exposure to the influenza virus.  The most common symptoms of the flu are fever, aches, and fatigue.  Other flu symptoms include:

Types Of The Flu

Each year, different strains of the flu appear worldwide.  Many are variations of the common flu, while other strains can be categorized as pandemics.  A pandemic is a rapid, worldwide outbreak of a particular disease.  These dangerous pandemic flu’s are resistant to all forms of medicine.  The most recent pandemic flu outbreaks include NDM-1, H1N1 Swine Flu, and H5N1 Bird Flu.

Flu Season

Flu season generally begins when the cooler weather of Fall appears.  The flu is most common from October through May, which coincides with most school calendars.  The peak flu season is in the colder months of January and February.