Flu: Don't pass it on!

The flu, also known as 'influenza', is an infection of the respiratory tract (nose, throat and lungs) caused by several virus strains. Often mistaken for the common cold, it differs in terms of both its origin and its symptoms.

Differences between the cold and the flu

Many of us have trouble differentiating the flu from the common cold. This is understandable since both infections affect the upper respiratory tract in similar ways. Yet, they’re very different.

The best way to know if you have the flu or a cold is to pay close attention to your symptoms:

Causes

Type A

This virus is the most common strain of the flu. It causes the worse influenza epidemics. It generally strikes every three years.

Type B

This strain of the virus also causes epidemics, but every five years. However, the infection is usually benign.

Type C

Affecting animals in particular, this strain is always present. It causes a few small local and benign epidemics.

Furthermore, regardless of the strain, the flu normally strikes from October to March.

Much like the common cold, influenza is also transmitted easily from one person to another through tiny airborne droplets. When a person infected with the flu coughs or sneezes, he or she projects into the air millions of virus-laden particles, ready to contaminate others.

It is important to know that those infected are contagious before the onset of symptoms and remain so for approximately six days (ten in the case of children). What’s more, the incubation period for the virus ranges from one to four days.