Ive come down with some kind of bug. I think it's the flue with the sore throut, clogged nose and coughing.
But it isnt flu season.
Is it?
When does it start?
Is it flue season?
Moderator: Available
Nope, not flu season yet. That doesn't come until October or so. But that doesn't mean you don't have the flu.
The "real" flu, caused by the influenza virus, is pretty nasty. Usually you have a high fever (say, 103) and painful muscle aches. It really knocks you on your butt. Most of what people call "the flu" is a much more mild upper respiratory infection causing just a runny nose.
Interestingly, while we hear lots of stuff in the media about the bird flu (or, a few years ago, SARS) the regular old flu is a nasty enough disease that it kills about 35,000 Americans every year. So get those flu shots!
The "real" flu, caused by the influenza virus, is pretty nasty. Usually you have a high fever (say, 103) and painful muscle aches. It really knocks you on your butt. Most of what people call "the flu" is a much more mild upper respiratory infection causing just a runny nose.
Interestingly, while we hear lots of stuff in the media about the bird flu (or, a few years ago, SARS) the regular old flu is a nasty enough disease that it kills about 35,000 Americans every year. So get those flu shots!
Aka Dave Keckich
Aaaargh!!!Aaaargh wrote:Nope, not flu season yet. That doesn't come until October or so. But that doesn't mean you don't have the flu.
The "real" flu, caused by the influenza virus, is pretty nasty. Usually you have a high fever (say, 103) and painful muscle aches. It really knocks you on your butt. Most of what people call "the flu" is a much more mild upper respiratory infection causing just a runny nose.
Interestingly, while we hear lots of stuff in the media about the bird flu (or, a few years ago, SARS) the regular old flu is a nasty enough disease that it kills about 35,000 Americans every year. So get those flu shots!
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Bill Glasheen
- Posts: 17299
- Joined: Thu Mar 11, 1999 6:01 am
- Location: Richmond, VA --- Louisville, KY
You can go to your family doctor and get tested to verify infuenza infection. These days they have medications to shorten the illness if you catch it early enough.
However... You probably just have a nasty rhinovirus (a.k.a. common cold).
There are several key characteristics of influenza vs. other viral infections.
1) It usually has a sudden onset. You'll go from feeling fine at 4 PM to feeling like a truck ran over you at 8 PM.
2) It takes a while to recover. You think you're geting better and decide to go back to work, only to realize you still feel terrible and need to go back to bed.
3) Generally it starts with high fever, aches, and feeling terrible. Several days later the respiratory symptoms hit. And they can persist for weeks to months, because the outer lining of your upper respiratory system gets trashed. For an unlucky few - particularly the elderly - that can lead to pneumonia.
Every other generation or so a particularly virulent strain comes around that actually selectively kills the strongest and the healthiest. H1N1 - the flu epidemic of 1917-1918 - wiped out whole barracks of soldies preparing for or fighting WWI. Cyanosis hit so fast and so extreme that in a day a healthy young male would turn a color where you couldn't tell what race he was.
Most influenza can be endured by most of the population. The elderly and the pregnant though need to get protected to prevent serious consequences.
Flu shots will be available in a few months. There should be enough to go around this year.
- Bill
However... You probably just have a nasty rhinovirus (a.k.a. common cold).
There are several key characteristics of influenza vs. other viral infections.
1) It usually has a sudden onset. You'll go from feeling fine at 4 PM to feeling like a truck ran over you at 8 PM.
2) It takes a while to recover. You think you're geting better and decide to go back to work, only to realize you still feel terrible and need to go back to bed.
3) Generally it starts with high fever, aches, and feeling terrible. Several days later the respiratory symptoms hit. And they can persist for weeks to months, because the outer lining of your upper respiratory system gets trashed. For an unlucky few - particularly the elderly - that can lead to pneumonia.
Every other generation or so a particularly virulent strain comes around that actually selectively kills the strongest and the healthiest. H1N1 - the flu epidemic of 1917-1918 - wiped out whole barracks of soldies preparing for or fighting WWI. Cyanosis hit so fast and so extreme that in a day a healthy young male would turn a color where you couldn't tell what race he was.
Most influenza can be endured by most of the population. The elderly and the pregnant though need to get protected to prevent serious consequences.
Flu shots will be available in a few months. There should be enough to go around this year.
- Bill
Most people call just about anything "the flu" anymore. Every year people I know complain about having the flu and their symptoms are gastrointestinal like stomach cramps and diarrhia. They never want to believe me when I point out that they do not have the flu, aka influenza...in fact, to my knowledge I know no one who has had true influenza.Aaaargh wrote:Most of what people call "the flu" is a much more mild upper respiratory infection causing just a runny nose.
Even better is when someone comes down with an illness like a stomach bug or rhinovirus and says "but I got the flu shot".
Glenn
I'm fairly confidant, given the high infection rates in our yearly experiences with flu and the number of people that we all know that the majority of us have had the flu and we at least all know a bunch of people that have had it. Definitely the flu does get blamed for everything these days that isn't a "spider bite"
--Ian
