Flu, also called influenza, is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs, which are part of the respiratory system. The flu is caused by a virus. Influenza viruses are different from the "stomach flu" viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting. Most people with the flu get better on their own.

Jan 28, 2025 · To diagnose the flu, also called influenza, your healthcare professional does a physical exam, looks for symptoms of flu and possibly orders a test that detects flu viruses. The viruses that cause flu spread at high levels during certain times of the year in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.

Call your healthcare professional if you think you have the flu and you or someone you're caring for is at high risk of serious flu illness, or flu-related complications. Unlike a cold, the flu tends to come on suddenly and makes you feel much worse than a cold.

Dec 30, 2024 · Sick with a a cold, flu or other respiratory virus? Learn some home management tips from a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician.

Nov 7, 2024 · Getting vaccinated for the flu and COVID-19 is the best way to keep yourself and the people around you safe from infection. Related posts: Mayo Clinic expert answers questions about the flu, COVID-19

Nov 12, 2024 · He explains that vaccination reduces the chance of a human being infected by both avian and human flu strains, and it lowers the risk of spreading human flu to animals such as pigs, reducing the odds of a reassortment event that could lead to a novel virus.

Jul 22, 2023 · COVID-19 and the flu are both contagious respiratory diseases. They are both caused by viruses. They have some common symptoms. But COVID-19 and flu infections can affect people differently. Also, since the flu has been around much longer, health care providers know more about how to treat it, while they continue to learn more about COVID-19.

Oct 4, 2024 · Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the flu and its complications for almost everyone. The flu vaccine can lower the risk of getting the flu. It also can lower the risk of having serious illness from the flu and needing to stay in the hospital or dying of the flu.

Aug 13, 2020 · What's the difference between COVID-19 and the flu? COVID-19 and the flu have several differences. COVID-19 and the flu are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, while influenza is caused by influenza A and B viruses. Symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu appear at different times and have some ...

The flu pandemic lasts from 1918 to 1920. From spring of 1918 to spring of 1919, the flu causes more than 550,000 deaths in the U.S. and more than 20 million deaths worldwide. In the fall of 1918 at Mayo Clinic, people with the flu and other contagious illnesses are cared for in the isolation hospital.