Curry Health Center

Seek medical attention if:

If you have some of these symptoms visit the Medical Clinic at Curry Health Center or call 243-4330 to make an appointment.

Curry Health Center is open 24 / 7 during the Academic year.

INFLUENZA (FLU) FACTS

Influenza, or flu, is an infection of the respiratory tract that affects millions of people every year. It is highly contagious and affects all age groups.

Scientists have classified flu viruses into types A, B, and C.

• Type A is the most prevalent and is associated with the most serious epidemics.
• Type B outbreaks also can reach epidemic levels, but the disease it produces generally is milder than that caused by type A.
• Type C viruses, on the other hand, never have been connected with a large epidemic.

HOW FLU SPREADS

Viruses that cause flu spread primarily from person to person, especially by coughing and sneezing (via airborne droplets of respiratory fluids). Flu viruses can enter the body through the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or mouth. After a person has been infected with the virus, symptoms usually appear within 2 to 4 days. The infection is considered contagious for another 3 to 4 days after symptoms appear. The greatest risk of infection is in highly populated areas, where people live in crowded conditions, and in schools. Isolating people with flu symptoms is not an effective means of disease control because flu can be spread by someone whose symptoms are not yet apparent.

Preventions

In order to prevent the flu from spreading to others there are several things you can do. Wash your hands often, especially after blowing your nose and before touching food. Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.

COMPLICATIONS

Flu complications generally result from bacterial infections of the respiratory tract. Symptoms of complications usually appear after the initial flu symptoms start to improve. This brief period of improvement is followed by the sudden onset of high fever, shaking chill, chest pain with each breath and coughing that produces thick, yellow-greenish colored sputum. It is important that you return to the Curry Health Centers if your symptoms do not improve after 2-3 days or if you begin to feel worse (especially with the symptoms just mentioned).

People with certain chronic health conditions can be more adversely affected by this infection. These conditions include:

Long-term health problems

• heart disease
• lung disease
• asthma
• kidney disease
• metabolic disease, such as diabetes
• anemia and other blood disorders

Weakened immune systems due to:

• HIV/AIDS or another disease that affects the immune system
• long-term treatment with drugs such as steroids
• cancer treatment with x-rays or drugs