Flu Facts
submitted by Gerald Jenkins

Influenza, or the flu, is a respiratory infection caused by a variety of flu viruses. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 35 to 50 million Americans come down with the fluduring each fluseason, which typically lasts from November to March. Children are two to three times more likely than adults to get sick with the flu, and children frequently spread the virus to others. Although most people recover from the illness, CDC estimates that in the United States more than 100,000 people are hospitalized, and about 36,000 people die from the fluand its complications every year. When and Where Do People Usually Get the Flu?

Flu outbreaks usually begin suddenly and occur mainly in the late fall and winter. The disease spreads through communities creating an epidemic. During the epidemic, the number of cases peaks in about three weeks and subsides after another three or four weeks. Half of the population of a community may be affected. Because schools are an excellent place for fluviruses to attack and spread, families with school-age children have more infections than other families, with an average of one-third of the family members infected each year. Ho wis Transmitted?

You can get the fluif someone around you who has the flu coughs or sneezes. You can get the flusimply by touching a surface like a telephone or door knob that has been contaminated by a touch from someone who has the flu.The viruses can pass through the air and can enter your body through your nose or mouth. If you've touched a contaminated surface, they can pass from your hand to your nose or mouth.

You are at the greatest risk of getting infected in highly populated areas, such as in crowded living conditions and in schools.