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Flu is a respiratory infection caused by a number of viruses. The viruses pass through the air and enter your body through your nose or mouth. Between 5% and 20% of people in the U.S. get the flu each year. The flu can be serious or even deadly for elderly people, newborn babies and people with certain chronic illnesses.
Symptoms of the flu come on suddenly and are worse than those of the common cold. They may include
Is it a cold or the flu? Colds rarely cause a fever or headaches. Flu almost never causes an upset stomach. And "stomach flu" isn't really flu at all, but gastroenteritis.
The main way to keep from getting the flu is to get a yearly flu vaccine. If you get the flu, your health care provider may prescribe medicine to help your body fight the infection and lessen symptoms.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
The '''Asian Flu''' was a pandemic outbreak of influenza that originated in China in 1957 and spread worldwide (including to the United States of America) that same year. The virus lasted until 1958. The Asian Flu was the H2N2 strain (a notation that refers to the configuration of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins in the virus) of type A influenza, and a flu vaccine was developed in 1957 to contain its outbreak. Worldwide it is estimated that at least one million people died from this virus; in the United States the death toll was comparatively mild, numbering approximately 72,000 people. The Asian Flu strain later evolved via antigenic shift into H3N2, the so-called Hong Kong Flu which caused a milder pandemic from 1968 to 1969. From October 2004 to February 2005, some 3,700 test kits of the 1957 virus were spread around the world from College of American Pathologists (CAP). CAP assists laboratories in accuracy by providing unidentified samples of viruses; private contractor Meridian Bioscience in Cincinnati, U.S., chose the 1957 strand instead of one of the newer Influenza A strands. The flu is considered deadly and the U.S. government called for the vials containing the strain to be destroyed. [http://www.phppo.cdc.gov/HAN/ArchiveSys/ViewMsgV.asp?AlertNum=00227] [ Read More ]
Yuppie Flu - Official site includes news, lyrics, gigs and samples.
Rough Trade: Yuppie Flu - Profile and discography.
Suburban Flu - Now defunct punk band from Kentucky. Contains biography, shows, lyrics, pictures and merchandise.
Giant Microbes - Offering stuffed animals based upon common diseases and maladies, including the common cold, flu, and athlete's foot, at a million times actual size.
Williamsburg Soap and Candle Co. - Offering mentholated vapor candles for colds and flu.
Love, Tears, and Laughter - Aging baby boomers healthcare handbook dealing with issues from flu to funeral arrangements.
Quantum - Skin care, lice removal, cold and flu, vitamins and herbs, minerals, and intestinal care.
Sunrise Healing Arts - Offers liquid herbal extracts formulated to address health problems such as depression, anxiety, stress, menopause, PMS, indigestion, arthritis, irritable bowel, colds/flu, insomnia and mental acuity.
Nature's Health Studio - Offers Homeopathy remedy kits for children, colds, coughs, flu, ears, eyes, hayfever, allergies, pregnant women, smokers, and travellers. Includes company information and contact details.
Have I Got Flu.com - UK company providing home testing kits to help the user determine whether they have influenza or a common cold.