What is influenza?
Influenza, commonly called “the flu”
- is an acute viral illness that attacks the respiratory system and begins in your nose and throat
- is an illness that affects your lungs, not your stomach. It does not cause abdominal upset and diarrhea
- In Canada, flu season usually runs from November to April
Symptoms
Symptoms start suddenly and include:
- Fever (37° – 40° C) in adults, higher in children
- Chills, runny nose, sneezing, dry cough
- Headache, muscle aches
- Extreme fatigue
- Recovery time: 7 to 10 days
Prevention
Preventing the flu:
- Get a flu shot every year
- Healthy eating, adequate sleep and physical activity are important in maintaining your health
- Viruses can live for up to 48 hours on the surfaces of things like telephones, toys, coffee makers, doorknobs, computer keyboards and other hard surfaces. It can take up to a week for flu symptoms to appear and in that time you can infect others. To reduce the risk of spreading the virus, it's a good practice to wash your hands often with hot water and soap
- Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze to avoid spreading the virus through droplets which spread quickly through the air from person to person
Who should receive the vaccine?
Public Health recommends the following people should receive the vaccine:
- Adults and children with chronic heart and lung disease
- Anyone living in a nursing home or chronic care facility
- People 65 years of age and older
- People with chronic conditions such as diabetes, anemia, cancer, immune suppression, HIV or kidney disease
- Children and adolescents on long term acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) therapy
- Health care workers, other care givers and household contacts capable of transmitting influenza to the above at-risk groups
- People at high risk of influenza complications traveling to areas where influenza virus is likely to be circulating
- Healthy children between the ages of six and 23 months of age
- Children with chronic cardiac and pulmonary disorders (including bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis, and asthma) severe enough to require regular medical follow-up or hospitalization
- Children who are immunosuppressed due to congenital or acquired immunodeficiency secondary to underlying disease and/or therapy
- Children with renal disease
- Children with anemia or hemoglobinopathy
- Children with conditions requiring treatment for long periods with acetylsalicylic acid
- Children with other chronic conditions, such as diabetes and other metabolic diseases that put them at increased risk
- Children residing in chronic care facilities
- Children who are household contacts of children or adults for whom the influenza vaccine is recommended, including household contacts of healthy children six to 23 months of age
- Children who are household contacts of children younger than six months of age, as the latter are at risk of hospitalization but are too young to be vaccinated with current vaccines
Who should not receive the vaccine?
The following people should not receive the vaccine:
Persons who:
- have had a reaction to the influenza vaccine
- have an anaphylactic or allergic reaction to eggs
- have an active neurological condition
- have a known sensitivity to Neomycin or Gentamycin
- have a fever or infection - wait until symptoms disappear
Can flu shots give you the flu?
Flu shots do not give you the flu
You cannot get the flu from the vaccine. The viruses used to make the vaccine have been killed.
People who think they have caught the flu after receiving a flu shot may be confusing symptoms with those of a cold or another virus. They also may have caught another strain of influenza not included in the vaccine.
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