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Header: Flu Information

 

The flu is a deadly disease affecting thousands of adults each year. Adults 50 years of age and older need to receive their flu shot each year in order to be protected from this disease. More than 36,000 adults die each year because of the flu and complications related to the flu.

Flu Frequently Asked Questions

 

Icon: Question Should all people with flu-like symptoms be tested for the flu?

Icon: Answer Not necessarily. Typical flu symptoms include fever, body aches, tiredness, cough, and sometimes a sore throat and runny nose. However, these can be symptoms of many diseases, and it can be difficult to tell if you have the flu or another illness by looking at just the symptoms.

There are several different kinds of tests to tell if you have the flu. Most involve having your throat or nose swabbed. This means that the infected area will be wiped with an absorbent material which will then be sent to a laboratory to be tested. This type of test needs to be done in the first 3 to 4 days of your illness.

These flu tests are not 100 percent accurate. Because the tests are sometimes incorrectly negative or incorrectly positive, they should not be done on all patients. These tests are most useful when a doctor needs the results to help with diagnosis and treatment decisions.

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Logo: NC Division of Public Health
Link: N.C. Women's and Children's Health Web Site

 
Icon: QuestionHow do I know if I have a cold or the flu?

Icon: Answer Influenza (flu) and a cold are both respiratory (breathing) infections caused by viruses. Some of the symptoms are similar, and it can sometimes be difficult to tell if you have the flu or a very bad cold. The flu can cause more serious illness than a common cold.

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Icon: Question What can I do to protect myself against the flu?

Icon: AnswerBy far, the single best way to prevent the flu is for individuals, especially people at high risk for serious complications from the flu, to get a vaccination each fall. However, there are other good health habits that can help prevent the flu. These are:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
  • If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick;
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing;
  • Wash your hands often; and
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

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Icon: QuestionWhat are the symptoms of the flu?

Icon: Answer Influenza is a respiratory illness. Symptoms of flu include dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, fever, headache, extreme tiredness, , and muscle aches. Children can have additional gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, but these symptoms are uncommon in adults. Although the term "stomach flu" is sometimes used to describe vomiting, nausea or diarrhea, these illnesses are caused by certain other viruses, bacteria or possibly parasties, and are rarely related to influenza.

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Icon: QuestionHow do I tell the difference between a cold and the flu?

Symptoms

Cold

Flu
Fever
 rare in adults and older children; can be as high as 102°F in infants and small children usually 102°F, but can go up to 104°F and usually lasts 3 to 4 days
Headache
 rare sudden onset - can be severe
Muscle aches
 mild usual, and often severe
Tiredness & Weakness
 mild can last two or more weeks
Extreme exhaustion
 never sudden onset - can be severe
Runny nose
 often sometimes
Sneezing
 often sometimes
Sore throat
 often sometimes
Cough
 mild hacking cough usual, can become severe

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Icon: Question When is the typical flu season?

Icon: Answer In the United States, the flu season can range from October through April. Typically, months with the heaviest flu activity are January and February.

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Icon: Question Who needs to get a flu shot each year?

Everyone six months of age and older should get a flu shot.

Those at highest risk for complications from the flu include:

  • Adults 50 years old and older
  • Children 6 months through 18 years old
  • Pregnant women
  • People of any age with chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, etc.
  • Household contacts and caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)
  • Residents of nursing homes

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Last Updated: September 2, 2010

The purpose of this web site is both educational and informative.
Personal medical advice should be sought from your local health department or physician.

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