Influenza, commonly known as “the flu”, is an infectious disease caused by the influenza virus. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe. The most common symptoms are the dreaded achy joints, muscles and fatigue, along with a runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache and vomiting.
The infectious disease is commonly spread through the air from coughs or sneezes.This is believed to occur mostly over relatively short distances.It can also be spread by touching surfaces contaminated by the virus and then touching the mouth or eyes.
Preventing the virus from spreading
To help prevent the virus from spreading frequent washing of the hands will help kill the bacteria, along with covering your mouth and nose while coughing and sneezing and carrying a bottle of antibacterial hand soap.
There is another alternative to help protect you against the dreaded virus over the winter season, the influenza vaccine, also known as the flu shot. This is an annual vaccination that is specific for a given year to protect against the highly variable influenza virus. You can get the vaccine from your local General Practitioner.