Flu Information
What is Influenza (Flu)?
Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.
Flu Symptoms
Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Flu is different from a cold. Flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have flu often feel some or all of these symptoms:
- fever*
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or stuffy nose
- body aches
- headache
- chills
- fatigue
- sometimes diarrhea and vomiting
*It’s important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.
People at High Risk from Flu
Anyone can get flu (even healthy people), and serious problems related to flu can happen at any age, but some people are at high risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), pregnant women, and children younger than 5 years.
Preventing Seasonal Flu
The first and most important step in preventing flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. Flu vaccine has been shown to reduce flu related illnesses and the risk of serious flu complications that can result in hospitalization or even death. CDC also recommends everyday preventive actions (like staying away from people who are sick, covering coughs and sneezes and frequent hand washing) to help slow the spread of germs that cause respiratory (nose, throat, and lungs) illnesses, like flu.
Signs and Symptoms | Cold | Influenza (Flu) | Coronavirus COVID-19 |
---|---|---|---|
Sore throat | Common | Common | Sometimes |
Cough | Common | Common | Common |
Sneezing | Common | Sometimes | -- |
Fever | -- | Common | Common |
Body aches/chills | Mild | Common | Sometimes |
Tiredness | Mild | Common | Sometimes |
Headache | -- | Common | Sometimes |
Runny/stuffy nose | Common | Sometimes | -- |
Nausea | -- | Sometimes | -- |
Shortness of breath | -- | -- | In severe cases |
Loss of taste or smell | -- | -- | Sometimes |
- Ohio Department of Health Influenza Information
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Influenza Information
- Premier Health, CompuNet Announce Sites for Flu Testing, 9.16.20

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Documents sorted by _RECORDID in Descending Order within category
Weekly Flu Reports16 documents
- Flu MMWR Week 12 (3.15.20 - 3.21.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 10 (3.01.20 - 3.07.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 9 (2.23.20 - 2.29.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 8 (2.16.20 - 2.22.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 7 (2.9.20 - 2.15.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 6 (2.2.20 - 2.8.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 5 (1.26.20 - 2.1.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 4 (1.19.20-1.25.20)
- Flu MMWR Week 3 (1.12.2020 - 1.18.2020)
- Flu MMWR Week 2 (1.05.2020 - 1.11.2020)
- Flu MMWR Week 1 (12.29.2019 - 1.04.2020)
- Flu MMWR Week 52 (12.22.19 - 12.28.19)
- Flu MMWR Week 51 (12.15.19 - 12.21.19)
- Flu MMWR Week 50 (12.08.19 - 12.14.19)
- Flu MMWR Week 49 (12.01.19 - 12.07.19)
- Flu MMWR Week 18 (4.28.19 - 5.4.19)