Getting the flu is awful! You get respiratory symptoms (Example: stuffy nose, sore throat, or cough) and constitutional symptoms (Example: fevers, chills, or body aches), and you’re usually in bed for 3-7 days. The flu virus spreads from person to person through tiny little droplets and is really common during the winter. Learn how we’re getting smart about tracking the flu, and how you can avoid getting sick…

The flu is caused and spread by a virus called influenza, which has proteins on its outer coat (think of a person wearing a jacket) called Hemagglutinin and Neuraminidase. The flu uses these proteins to enter and exit cells, and we actually name these proteins H and N (easy to remember) and number them to keep track of all the different types that we have found. The flu is a sneaky little bugger though, and can avoid our immune system by making subtle genetic mutations over time (drift) or shuffling up its genetic material completely (shift)!

Most of the time, we don’t test for the flu, but it can be useful. Rapid flu tests are done with a quick nose swab or wash, and can detect Type A or Type B Flu, but beware – like all tests, sometimes they make mistakes.

Want to avoid getting sick with the flu? If so, get a flu vaccine, it’s 60-70% effective! You have a couple of options: TIV (dead virus, injection) or LAIV (weak virus, spray). They can cause some side effects like a sore arm (TIV) or a runny nose (LAIV), but isn’t that better then lying in bed with a cough and fever for a week? Don’t worry though, if you do get really sick with the flu, we have some medications that can help.

The fact is that many folks don’t get the flu shot. Find out some of the common reasons why this is the case, and some of the common myths that continue to circulate on the internet!