Facts About Flu and What You Can Do

Influenza Is Caused by a Virus That Spreads Through Coughs and Sneezes

"Flu" is a confusing word -- and one you hear a lot at this time of year.

Some people use "flu" to mean almost any kind of serious cold, cough or sore throat. When you hear that a friend is "out with the flu" you know the kid is too sick to go to school. But it's difficult to know exactly what's wrong because the word is used to describe so many ailments.

"Flu" has a more precise meaning to doctors and nurses. It's short for "influenza," an infection caused by a specific type of virus: the influenza virus.

Influenza viruses have been around for tens of thousands of years. They infect not only people but pigs, horses, seals, chickens, ducks and hawks. Influenza virus is very contagious. People can catch it from each other easily. Sometimes it seems as if entire towns or cities come down with flu at the same time. Centuries ago, before scientists discovered that microbes cause infections, astrologers thought flu epidemics were caused by strange forces or influences exerted by the stars. "Influenza" is an Italian word for "influence."

When a person with flu -- the real flu -- coughs or sneezes, a cloud of virus goes into the air. Other people can then inhale it. Or the droplets might land on tables and doorknobs, where other people can pick up the virus on their hands. For those reasons, the best protection against flu is very simple (and also polite):

Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.

Keep your hands out of your mouth and nose.

Wash your hands -- a lot.

Doctors have a hard time figuring out whether someone has influenza. That's because a lot of things look like flu but aren't. It is possible to swab the inside of someone's nose and test the swab for influenza virus. Most doctors don't do that, however, because it's expensive and takes time. When they do, they discover that only about two-thirds of the people they think have flu actually have it.

The most common symptoms of flu are a fever (with a temperature of more than about 101 degrees Fahrenheit), a dry cough, a headache, a sore throat and an achy feeling all over. Some children also have stomach pain, and some throw up. It's a lot worse than a cold.

How do you get rid of a flu? Get plenty of sleep, drink plenty of water and juice, and ride it out. Your parents might give you some medicine, but kids with flu should never take aspirin. In children, aspirin and flu sometimes cause very serious problems. If you need something to get rid of your aches, ask Mom or Dad for acetaminophen.

The best treatment for flu, of course, is to never get it. Influenza vaccine -- also known as flu shots -- prevent people from getting flu.

The shots are in short supply this year. Only people much younger or much older than you are getting them. But many experts believe that everyone, even school-age kids, should get a flu shot every fall. That's because the less flu virus there is floating around, the less chance there is that babies or old people will get flu. They are the ones who can die from it.

So, there may be flu shots in your future. Not this year, but maybe next.

I know what you're thinking, but take a deep breath and relax. With the teeny-tiny, really sharp needles nurses have now, you can barely feel a flu shot. It's true.

-- David Brown