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du_grad

(221 posts)

16. Influenza is a respiratory disease

Tue Dec 4, 2012, 12:42 AM

Dec 2012

It will give you severe body aches and a fairly high fever. It does not usually produce gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, diarrhea). The flu season is early this year. I work in a clinical microbiology laboratory and we have been getting requests for rapid flu tests since September. The season usually starts in January but it is really early this year.

The danger with influenza is that you can contract bacterial pneumonia on top of it. The organism that causes this, Streptococcus pneumoniae can put you into the hospital and into an ICU very quickly - in a matter of hours. This is a condition you do NOT want to mess around with. Many deaths from influenza are due to secondary bacterial pneumonia.

Here is the CDC page with some good basic information.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/index.htm

Information on pneumonia:

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Pneumonia/

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23 replies

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US flu season starts early, could be bad, CDC says [View all] DonViejo Dec 2012 OP

I got my shot MannyGoldstein Dec 2012 #1

Supposedly lasts 4 months PatrynXX Dec 2012 #9

I had the flu so bad last January I couldn't function for TwilightGardener Dec 2012 #2

thats the only reason I get a shot PatrynXX Dec 2012 #10

Have to learn the hard way. I'm middle aged and had a few TwilightGardener Dec 2012 #11

Got my shot last month. 840high Dec 2012 #3

I got my shot gblady Dec 2012 #4

If my fb page is any indication, sinus infections are sweeping the nation. intheflow Dec 2012 #5

My daughter had the Croup last week. It started out as sinus pain and her eyes hurt but then neverforget Dec 2012 #8

I've got croup now. Having trouble sleeping because the meds knock me out, then wake me up. nt msanthrope Dec 2012 #18

I hope you get better soon! The meds my daughter was given took care of it very fast. neverforget Dec 2012 #21

Influenza is a respiratory disease du_grad Dec 2012 #16

Ah, then, put me down as a flu sufferer. intheflow Dec 2012 #19

This message was self-deleted by its author cadaverdog Dec 2012 #6

Did not get my shot and cadaverdog Dec 2012 #7

well the one of the very few times I've gotten a flu shot was 2003-2004 azurnoir Dec 2012 #12

I had the flu once a few years ago. Lugnut Dec 2012 #13

Never got one.... Chakaconcarne Dec 2012 #14

Knock on wood.... moonlady0623 Dec 2012 #15

Never had a flu shot and never had the flu. RebelOne Dec 2012 #22

I remember a bunch of flu scares Art_from_Ark Dec 2012 #17

I came down with it 8 hours after sitting in a doctor's waiting room for an hour. Comrade Grumpy Dec 2012 #20

I've got my shot MrsBrady Dec 2012 #23