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The flu, a highly contagious respiratory infection, causes cough and fever in people who have it. This eMedTV segment offers a detailed look at the flu, including who is most at risk from it and how outbreaks occur.
This eMedTV article discusses the three types of flu in detail, including how they are transmitted between species. The types of flu virus include A, B, and C. Type A is further categorized into subtypes; the others are not.
The flu virus is not only highly contagious; it's also highly changeable, which helps it to spread quickly from person to person. This eMedTV resource explains the history of the flu virus, how it spreads, and the subtypes.
Flu symptoms (sore throat, fever, chills) tend to be more severe and last longer than cold symptoms. This eMedTV segment explains flu symptoms in detail, including potential complications in adults, teenagers, and children.
In order to make a flu diagnosis, doctors look at a person's symptoms and find out whether the flu is epidemic within a community. This eMedTV segment explains how a doctor goes about making a flu diagnosis and explains why lab tests are seldom used.
Flu treatment, as this eMedTV article explains, generally involves rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking pain-relievers. Four new drugs have been approved for flu treatment as well, of which Tamiflu is one.
Flu medicine, such as Tamiflu, Flumadine, and Relenza, can be used to both prevent the flu and treat associated symptoms. This eMedTV article discusses types of flu medicine in detail, including how they work and potential side effects.
Flu complications tend to appear after the patient starts to feel better. Symptoms include high fever, cough with mucus, and chills. This eMedTV article discusses the results of flu complications in adults, teenagers, and children.
This eMedTV page discusses flu prevention methods in detail, such as the vaccine. The flu vaccine is the best flu prevention method, but medication can help prevent the flu if you take it for at least 2 weeks during a flu outbreak in your community.
The flu shot contains inactive viruses that are currently in circulation and viruses that are expected to circulate the following winter. This eMedTV article explains who should get a flu shot, where it can be obtained, and potential side effects.
This segment of the eMedTV archives describes flu outbreaks throughout history. These flu outbreaks, such as the ones in 1918 and 1976, have the potential to spread quickly from person to person, especially when the strain of the virus is new.
Viruses that cause bird flu occur naturally in wild birds worldwide, but are rarely found in humans. This portion of the eMedTV website answers the question, "What is bird flu?" in detail, including why it's a concern for humans.
A pandemic is an infectious disease affecting the majority of the population of a large region. This eMedTV article takes an in-depth look at what is and isn't a pandemic and provides links to specific pandemics throughout history.
This eMedTV resource describes each influenza pandemic in the 20th century and explains how it differs from a seasonal outbreak of the disease. Namely, an influenza pandemic is defined by the global spread of a new type A subtype among humans.
In order to distinguish between an epidemic and a pandemic, there are six phases that make up pandemic stages. As this eMedTV segment explains, these pandemic stages occur in three separate periods (interpandemic, pandemic alert, and pandemic).
The 1918 flu caused the highest number of known flu deaths worldwide, estimated at 50 million to 100 million people. This eMedTV article includes information and statistics related to the 1918 flu and explores whether it could happen again.
The dog flu is caused by a strain of the influenza virus that first appeared in horses. As this eMedTV article explains, symptoms of dog flu include cough and fever, and the prognosis is generally favorable with appropriate treatment.
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