What is flu?

Influenza, commonly known as the "flu," is an extremely contagious respiratory illness

caused by influenza A or B viruses. Flu appears most frequently in winter and early
spring. The flu virus attacks the body by spreading through the upper and/or lower
respiratory tract.
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/what-is-flu

What are its symptoms?

Flu symptoms come on suddenly and affect the body all over. Flu
symptoms are usually more serious than a cold and include:

• fever (100° F),

• headache,

• more intense pain and fatigue, and

• more severe, often dry cough.

When you get the flu, you are also more prone to bronchitis,
sinus, and ear infections. 

Cold symptoms mostly affect above the neck and include:

• a runny or stuffy nose (nasal congestion),

• sneezing,

• sore through, and

• cough. 

You may also experience a mild headache, body aches or a low

grade fever. Typically, a cold lasts 2-14 days.
https://uhs.princeton.edu/health-resources/common-illnesses

How does flu spread?

The flu virus is spread from person to person through respiratory secretions and
typically sweeps through large groups of people who spend time in close contact, such
as in daycare facilities, classrooms, college dormitories, military barracks, offices, and
nursing homes.

Flu is spread when you inhale droplets in the air that contain the flu virus, make direct
contact with respiratory secretions through sharing drinks or utensils, or handle items
contaminated by an infected person. In the latter case, the flu virus on your skin can
infect you when you touch or rub your eyes, nose, or mouth. That's why frequent and
thorough handwashing is a key way to limit the spread of influenza. Flu symptoms start
to develop from one to four days after infection with the virus.
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/what-is-flu

How did you get this?

People with flu can spread it to others up to about 6 feet away. Most experts think that
flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be
inhaled into the lungs. Less often, a person might get flu by touching a surface or object
that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/spread.htm

When will the symptoms start showing? Symptoms usually start within 1 to 4 days of
close contact with another person with flu. Seven days is an outer limit. Since 7 days
have passed, you should be safe and not get the flu from this exposure.
https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-statistics#:~:text=Here's%20a%20rundown
%20of%20some,of%20problems%20with%20the%20illness.

What Are Your Odds of Getting the Flu?

How many people get the flu each year? How much does it cost us? How well does
the vaccine work?
Here's a rundown of some important statistics based on the best available data.

5% to 20% -- Percentage of the U.S. population that will get the flu, on average, each
year. https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-statistics#:~:text=Here's%20a
%20rundown%20of%20some,of%20problems%20with%20the%20illness.

How do I know if I have flu?

Your respiratory illness might be the flu if you have fever, cough, sore throat, runny or
stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and/or fatigue. Some people may have
vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children. People may be sick with
flu and have respiratory symptoms without a fever. Flu viruses usually cause the most
illness during the colder months of the year. However, influenza can also occur outside
of the typical flu season. In addition, other viruses can also cause respiratory illness
similar to flu. So, it is impossible to tell for sure if you have flu based on symptoms
alone. If your doctor needs to know for sure whether you are sick with flu, there are
laboratory tests that can be done. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/testing.htm

How is the flu diagnosed?

To diagnose the flu, health care providers will first do a medical history and ask about
your symptoms. There are several tests for the flu. For the tests, your provider will
swipe the inside of your nose or the back of your throat with a swab. Then the swab will
be tested for the flu virus.

Some tests are quick and give results in 15-20 minutes. But these tests are not as
accurate as other flu tests. These other tests can give you the results in one hour or
several hours. https://medlineplus.gov/flu.html#:~:text=To%20diagnose%20the%20flu
%2C%20health,tested%20for%20the%20flu%20virus.

What is the prognosis of flu?

Most people who get flu will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some
people will develop complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of flu, some of which
can be life-threatening and result in death.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/symptoms.htm#:~:text=symptoms%20of
%20flu.-,Flu%20Complications,threatening%20and%20result%20in%20death.
Are there any treatments?
Usually, you'll need nothing more than rest and plenty of fluids to treat the flu. But if
you have a severe infection or are at higher risk for complications, your doctor may
prescribe an antiviral drug to treat the flu. These drugs can include oseltamivir (Tamiflu),
zanamivir (Relenza), peramivir (Rapivab) or baloxavir (Xofluza). These drugs may shorten
your illness by a day or so and help prevent serious complications.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/diagnosis-treatment/drc-
20351725#:~:text=These%20drugs%20can%20include%20oseltamivir,Oseltamivir%20is
%20an%20oral%20medication.

How common is this?

The proportion of people who get sick from flu varies. A paper published in CID found
that between 3% and 11% of the U.S. population gets infected and
develops flu symptoms each year.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/keyfacts.htm#:~:text=The%20proportion%20of
%20people%20who%20get%20sick%20from%20flu%20varies,develops%20flu
%20symptoms%20each%20year.

What is the state of Influenza research?

Influenza research involves investigating molecular virology, pathogenesis,
host immune responses, genomics, and epidemiology regarding influenza. The main
goal of research is to develop influenza countermeasures such as vaccines, therapies
and diagnostic tools.

At least 12 companies and 17 governments are developing[when?] pre-

pandemic influenza vaccines in 28 different clinical trials that, if successful, could turn a
deadly pandemic infection into a nondeadly pandemic infection.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_research