Stop the "FLU" Epidemic? :)

Yeah, it bothers me when someone says they had the flu yesterday, and they are out and about.

They didn't have the flu. They had a "bug".

Influenza A and B, and H1N1 are serious illnesses. I've gotten the flu twice in my life, when I lived overseas, even having gotten the flu shot. My doc told me that I would have had a really bad case of it if I hadn't have gotten the shot. My entire family gets the vaccine every year. I rarely get the real flu, thank goodness.

Dawn

I've said it once before, but I'll say it again..

"The flu" is short for TWO illnesses

InFLUenza

AND

FLUx (aka the stomach flu). Flux is shorthand for ANY kind of gastrointestinal upset, but is traditionally reserved for dysentery, diahrrea without blood, vomitting, or any combination of the above.

Which is why people use both in common vernacular. Our grandparents used both, our parents used both.

But sister, I WILL JOIN YOU on the soapbox of bringing sick kids (and sick selves) out in public!!! The sheer and utter selfishness (and ignorance) of dragging germs around spreading them to immunocompromised people (babies, pregnant women, the elderly, anyone from child to elderly undergoing chemo, any transplant patient, anyone else on immunosuppressing drugs, hiv+ people... I JUST LOVE the self righteous argument I've heard about THAT one, let me tell you... the SMALLEST population of immunocompromised people are those with hiv).

We DO get Influenza every summer (except last summer... Childrens had the vax flown in for us, and one would assume others). Influenza is TYPICALLY a birdflu or swineflu that starts in China and heads west. As SOON as it's ID'd vaxes start being produced. Not quick enough for Eastern China, but they can usually get western china, and definitely have it for Eastern Europe and Africa... BUT... (remember h1n1 that started locally) it takes TIME to get those vaccines up and running. So they're not on the market HERE when the middle east and eastern europe is getting vax'd.

Guess who has friends and family who come visit every summer from Eastern Europe and the Middle East right at the beginning/middle of THEIR flu season? Yup. Us. So every summer we're housebound for 10-15 days (depending on how fast we incubate). Total pain in the keister. But we really DO self quarantine with influenza every year... and that IS something you'll hear come out of our mouths. "Sorry, we had the flu last week." And durn straight mean that influenza is why you didn't see us for the past week or two.

Thing is... there are HUNDREDS of strains of influenza (china creates several dozen every year in their poultry farms and pig farms, and the most virulent head west)... but they vary TREMENDOUSLY in virulence, strength, effects, etc. Most are *fairly* mild. As in you'll be miserable but IF you have a healthy immune system (not an infant, elderly, transplant recipient, etc.) you're in no risk of dying. Some others one WOULD havebeen at risk of death pre-tylenol and sports drinks (the salts in sports drinks- and pedialyte is JUST gatorade minus color and sugar)... but replacing lost salts keeps us from having seizures and strokes. A VERY SMALL percentage of influenza strains are lethal with modern medicine. ((Sounds like your friends' daughter had one of the nasty strains, or a particularly robust mutation of a regular strain going around)). Thing is... it doesn't matter (as far as going out in public) how mild the strain is. If you're immunocompromised... it's deadly.

You know how 30 deaths makes the news with some "pop-illnesses" and everyone freaks out? Do you KNOW how many people die IN THIS COUNTRY ALONE from the common cold and flu?

apx 50,000

Per year.

And we don't even blink.

I do understand what you mean and yes, the influenza virus is different than a stomach bug or a poo bug. BUT, not everyone gets as sick as what you are talking about. In my past, before I understood healing, I certainly had the flu. I never got THAT sick. Miserable yes. But dangerous sick, no.

Even though they say that we don't usually get stomach symptoms with the flu, I always did. But that's because when I get the fever, aches, and horrible pain, I also get virtigo with it. When I feel that bad all over, it always settles in my stomach. The headache turns into migraine as well. I have a weak stomach. So I understand it's not a symptom for everyone. But it is for me.

You can put me in the category of people who KNOW the difference and always has known the difference even at a young age. I also know that there is no cure for the "common cold" because it's actually not that common because there are over 150 different strains of it and how it effects you is based on what strain you picked up and how your immune system is - Oh and that is a VIRUS and has to run it's course and all you can do is ease the symptoms.

WebMD says the following (below). So it sounds like no, we DON'T know the difference, b/c the flu/influenza can have very similar symptoms to a cold or bacterial infection. I don't see what the big deal is. Did we have the flu last week? I don't know. Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't. It's over. We're fine. Symptoms are different for different ages. Some bodies react harsher than others. To say this girl had the flu and that my son, who had high fever and loss of appetite etc last week did not have the flu ..... unless diagnosed by a doctor, who knows? Who cares. It's a word. My kid "had the flu". My kid "had a cold". My kid "had a virus." Either way, your kid was sick and I hope I don't catch it.

Here's webMD's "INFLUENZA (Seasonal Flu)" symptoms:
The symptoms of influenza (flu) appear suddenly and often include:

Fever of 100°F (37.8°C) to 104°F (40°C), which can reach 106°F (41°C) when symptoms first develop. Fever is usually continuous, but it may come and go. Fever may be lower in older adults than in children and younger adults. When fever is high, other symptoms usually are more severe.
Body aches and muscle pain (often severe), commonly in the back, arms, or legs.
Headache.
Pain when you move your eyes.
Fatigue, a general feeling of sickness (malaise), and loss of appetite.
A dry cough, runny nose, and dry or sore throat. You may not notice these during the first few days of the illness when other symptoms are more severe. As your fever goes away, these symptoms may become more evident.
Influenza usually does not cause symptoms in the stomach or intestines, such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Most people do not die from the flu. Those who do are for the most part e babies, old people, and those with compromised immune systems or have caught a particularly virulent form.

I think it's legitimate to say one has the flu when they have the symptoms listed for flu. Yes, the word is used erroneously often but what difference does it make? Saying I have the flu indicates to people that one is feeling sick.

I'm more concerned and reacting to your giving the example of someone dying from the flu. It's most likely that she died from complications of the flu. Very, very few people actually die from the flu its self. So why scare people?

Do I personally know the difference? Yes.

But was I raised to know that 'flu' meant influenza? Absolutely not. In my house, there were pretty much two categories of illness: nose/throat: cold; throwing up/diarrhea: 'the flu'.

So, you can blame my mom for that one.:)

And judging from the amount of people I see who do not cover their coughs and sneezes or use good hygiene practices (like washing one's hands after blowing one's nose,etc), my guess is going to be that as a Group, no, people are not going to differentiate between the colloquial 'flu' that you are hearing about and the actual 'influenza' virus. There's a huge public education gap. I'm not saying people are stupid for not knowing the difference, it's just not something that we can correct as a society, all at once. Like a lot of things, if our family uses a certain term in a certain way, we are likely to repeat it.

I am so with you on this one. I hate when people say "I have/had the flu" when clearly, they had a cold or virus. My children have never had "the flu" and I have had it - maybe - once when I was a child. My parents, maybe a couple of times in their lives. It's *not* that common and when it hits, it can be serious. One of my co-worker was out of work for 3 weeks with it a few years ago and was not 100% himself for several weeks after that. It drives me nuts that people just toss that phrase around not realizing that it's a very specific illness.

I only say "flu" when one of us has tested positive at the doctor's office for the flu virus. :)

Even worse, IMO, is when they have the "stomach flu" which doesn't exist, is usually either a virus or food poisoning. But, my mom called anything that had us vomiting the "stomach flu" so I did it until I realized what real influenza was.

I had influenza a few years ago. I had had a flu shot, and I was sick in bed for about a week. Fever and upper respiratory symptoms. Not as sick as I'd ever been, but not moving from the bed/couch the whole time, either.

Influenza is not usually life-threatening to a healthy adult. Most of the 50,000 deaths per year are elderly people or people with compromised immune systems.

Love it! I get so irritated with people who are saying, "Oh, I have the flu" when they have a bad cold! My best friend is the worst! She and her children have "the flu" several times a year a piece! I'm one of those who almost died from it about 16 years ago, and I have been known to say to people, "No, you may have a bad cold, butif you had the flu you wouldn't be here at (work, a concert, wherever). The pain, fever, nightmare feeling and the fact you can barely move are FAR worse than even a bad cold or sinous infection! I happily share your soapbox!

I have a couple of thoughts here:
First, not everyone responds the same way to any disease, including the flu. Some get a more mild case, others have compromised immune systems due to various factors like diet, age, etc. So, just because someone isn't hospitalized and on the brink of death, it doesn't mean they don't have the flu.
Secondly, if it were true that the only true cases of flu were the ones that resulted in hospitalization and near death, then the flu isn't nearly as prevalent as the pharmaceutical companies want us to believe. Therefore, their marketing campaign truly is just a fear mongering issue. I mean, we already know it is, right? Death and hospitalization from the flu isn't the big bad wolf looming around every corner like they make it out to be.Yes, it happens occasionally. But, eat well, drink plenty of clean water, cut out the sugar,get plenty of sunshine (and take your Vitamin D) take your vitamins, wash your hands, and stop poisoning your body with all the junk.

I do know the difference and always use the proper terms. However, my son had H1N1 and was over it in 5 days, no hospitalization.
Sometimes people DO get over influenza very quickly and some don't.
I am still trying to get over a bout of tonsillitis, ear infection, lymphitis and bronchitis. I think I would have rather had influenza! And yes, I have been diagnosed with influenza in the past.
Don't be too quick to judge!

UH Where are you getting your information? This is from the CDC and very different from what you stated above:
"Flu Complications

Most people who get influenza will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of the flu, some of which can be life-threatening and result in death."

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