Influenza (flu)
- Influenza is a serious disease caused by a virus. Influenza can make you feel miserable! Fever, cough, shaking chills, body aches, and extreme weakness are common symptoms.
- You can catch influenza from people who cough, sneeze, or even just talk around you. It is very contagious.
- Tragically, every year infants, children, teens, and adults die from influenza. Influenza is very unpredictable. No one knows how deadly influenza will be each year. Even if you have a mild case of influenza, you can still pass the virus on to your friends, family, and coworkers who could get very sick or even die.
- Influenza is most dangerous for people with health conditions like heart and lung disease, the very young and very old, and pregnant women. But anyone can become seriously sick from influenza – even young, healthy people.
- Vaccination is the most effective step you can take to be protected from this serious disease.
Every person, beginning at age 6 months and continuing throughout their lifetime, should receive annual vaccination against influenza.
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