NATS 1670 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Respiratory Tract, Influenza A Virus Subtype H7N9, Hand Washing
10 Aug 2016
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Document Summary
Influenza (commonly called the flu) is a highly contagious illness that can occur in children or adults of any age. It occurs more often in the winter months because people spend more time in close contact with one another. The flu is spread easily from person to person by coughing, sneezing, or touching surfaces. Every year, complications of the flu require more than 200,000 people in the united. Serious illness is more likely in the very young, older adults, pregnant women, and people who have certain health problems such as asthma or other forms of lung disease. There have been several widespread flu outbreaks (called pandemics), which led to the deaths of many people worldwide. These outbreaks occurred when new strains of influenza viruses formed (often from pigs or birds) and humans became infected because they had no immunity to these viruses. Symptoms of seasonal flu can vary from person to person but usually include:
