Posts Tagged ‘influenza’
"Flu" Confusion
There is much confusion surrounding the word “flu”. Many incorrectly use the word “flu” to refer to nonspecific viral winter time illnesses, including colds and stomach viruses. In medical jargon speak, “flu” means “influenza” and nothing else. A result of this confusion is that many people mistakenly believe that “flu shots” protect against more than…
Read MoreInfluenza or "Flu"?
Overview People commonly refer to upper respiratory infections as the “flu”. This is used as a catch-all term, however true “flu” is caused by specific influenza viruses that affect the respiratory tract, usually with more severe symptoms, and can rarely cause death (0.1% mortality rate during each average severity seasonal epidemic). Worldwide pandemics occur occasionally,…
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