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The flu is as old as humans have been on this earth – and it is the same today as it was eons ago.  They say that you can contact a flu virus only once in your life, i.e. you never repeat falling sick due to the same virus twice. Counting from the times I fell sick due to cold and flu only, I am horrified to even think how many of these viruses are around us.

The flu virus usually spreads most commonly to hands contact, and not as it is commonly believed through sneezing and contaminated air. Usually a person sneezes on the papers they have in front of them, or on the hand. Then he/she gives you the paper or shakes hands with you – and bingo the flu virus is crawling all over you. Now you have to do is put your hand to you eyes, nose or mouth and the virus is inside your body. There is nothing than can be done.

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Don’t look now, but cold and flu season is right at your door! Every year, it is the same dilemma. Is that nasal congestion and cough due to a common cold, or are they really symptoms of influenza? Sometimes it is indeed hard to tell the difference. A severe cold can cause about as much misery as a mild case of the flu.

The concern is that influenza symptoms can progress to cause more serious medical complications, while colds generally fade away on their own. That is why it is a good idea to learn to make the distinction between whether it is a common cold or a flu bug that is biting you!
 
What The Flu Looks Like

Influenza symptoms generally come on rather suddenly, while colds can take their time making an appearance. A fever is a consistent influenza symptom, and it can spike quite high, making the infected person rather miserable. Fevers can come and go, and measure as high as 106 degrees Fahrenheit, especially at the onset of the illness. Children and younger adults tend to run higher fevers.

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Every year around the end of the autumn you are encouraged to consider taking the influenza shot in order to ensure that you don’t get the virus during the cold winter months or for the next year to come. Let us explore how the influenza shot works and what it actually contains.

How Does The Influenza Shot Work?

The influenza shot generally contains dead influenza viruses, which once present in your body is assimilated by your immune system. Having the virus already present in your body minimizes your changes of catching the virus again but, it is not totally impossible therefore you must still take the normal precaution steps that you take every year of eating healthy and boosting your immune system with vitamins.

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Flu season is nothing like hunting season. It isn’t a time of year people celebrate, await with glee, or seem happy to be a part of, but it is a time of year that you cannot escape. Unfortunately, thousands of people a year will “catch” the flu (not like you were looking for it), and they will get sick. Sometimes the people, who get sick, don’t know that it is the flu, which can make things worse if not treated properly. Here is a list of flu symptoms that can help you figure out whether or not it’s the flu you got.

Headache

Maybe you’re a mom, teacher, construction worker, office manager, customer service rep, or a type A personality; you get headaches all the time. They are nothing new to you. You deal with it by popping some ibuprofen, lying down, closing your eyes, and trying not to think. But when the headache is the flu symptom, your headache is more than just a pesky nuisance; it’s a sign that your body is in trouble.

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A pandemic is defined as an outbreak of a contagious disease on a global scale. If an influenza pandemic occurs, it could take some time to run its course. The effects of an influenza pandemic would most certainly be widespread with the ease of travel in our world today. The illness would be able to reach the far corners of the earth in a relatively short period of time.

There would undoubtedly be modifications to daily routines and locations like offices and schools would be affected – perhaps even closed temporarily to help contain the influenza pandemic wherever possible. Public services and transportation would be impacted as well. Because an influenza pandemic could strike at any time, it is important for individuals to prepare for the potential of such an event.

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