Health
Title: Influenza (the flu)
Information: What is "the flu" (influenza)? Influenza, commonly called "the flu," is a contagious disease caused by a virus that usually affects the upper respiratory tract, including the nose, throat, the bronchial passages, and, sometimes, the lungs. Patients often report the following symptoms: high fever, muscle aches, fatigue (extreme tiredness), dry cough, sore throat, headache, and runny or stuffy nose. Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, may occur, especially in children. These symptoms usually last one - two weeks. Transmission occurs through "respiratory droplets" of coughs and sneezes. Populations at highest risk for severe complications include the very young, the elderly and persons suffering from other serious medical conditions. For more information on influenza, consult the following sites, which are currently listed among the "Top Ten Most Useful Sites" for health consumers by the Medical Library Association. To see a complete list of these sites, go tohttp://www.mlanet.org/resources/medspeak/topten.html familydoctor.org - "Influenza Update 2003-2004," from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Use the links on the right and left sides of the page to navigate within the page and to related articles. http://familydoctor.org/x6511.xml MedlinePlus - This site, produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, offers many useful articles and resources on influenza. Scroll through the titles to select information in the category that interests you. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/influenza.html The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Influenza Homepage, published by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, is an up-to-date resource on influenza with links for "Key Facts" and "Q & A": "Influenza Homepage":http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm "Key Facts about the Flu": http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm "Influenza (the flu) - Questions and Answers":http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/ Kids Health for Kids - "The flu." This particular article targets "kids" for its audience. You could also click on the logo, "Kids Health" at the top left corner of the page and seek an article on influenza targetting "parents', or "teens." http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/sick/flu.html MayoClinic.com - "Flu FAQs: Answers for you and your loved ones": http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=2176DE9B-BEB8-4DAC-B58A458DC8385466 Also, you can go to the website for The World Health Organization (WHO), Fact Sheet No. 211, "Influenza", which provides information on influenza viruses, symptoms, transmission, prevention and treatment: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/2003/fs211/en/index.html Thanks for your question. Since influenza, or "the flu season" is often a current health concern, you may want to check with your librarian for recent news and/magazine articles on the topic. The AskNSDL Staff
Category: Health