Influenza, commonly known as the flu

The FLU is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by an RNA virus of the family Orthomyxoviridae (the influenza viruses).

In people, common symptoms are fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, and weakness and fatigue. In more serious cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal particularly in young children and the elderly. Sometimes confused with the common cold, influenza is a much more severe disease and caused by a different type of virus.

Similarly, the unrelated gastroenteritis is sometimes called "stomach flu" or "24-hour flu".

Typically, influenza is transmitted from infected mammals through the air by coughs or sneezes, creating aerosols containing the virus, and from infected birds through their droppings. Influenza can also be transmitted by saliva, nasal secretions, feces and blood. Infections occur through contact with these bodily fluids or with contaminated surfaces.

Flu viruses can remain infectious for over 30 days at 0C (32F), about one week at human body temperature, and indefinitely at very cold temperatures. They can be inactivated easily by disinfectants and detergents.

What are the symptoms of swine flu?

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A. The symptoms are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Each year, millions of people contract influenza and flu-like infections in the United States, resulting in over 100,000 hospitalizations and approximately 20,000 deaths. Most recover from these illnesses in about one to two weeks; however, the elderly and people with chronic health conditions often develop serious complications. There are three common therapeutic approaches used to counter this:

• Vaccines: formulated in an attempt to match the current year's viral antigenic shift.
• Antiviral drugs: used to interfere with viral replication and propagation.
• Symptomatic drugs: are the most common form of treatment, which are mostly fever reducers along with drugs that help ease the aches and pains.