Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is influenza?
A: Influenza (flu) is a serious disease caused by a virus. Influenza can make you feel miserable! Fever, cough, shaking chills, body aches, and extreme weakness are common symptoms.
Q: How do you catch it?
A: You can catch influenza from people who cough, sneeze, or even just talk around you. It is very contagious.
Q: Is it serious?
A: Yes! Tragically, every year infants, children, teens, and adults die from influenza. Influenza is very unpredictable. No one knows how deadly influenza will be each year. Even if you have a mild case of influenza, you can still pass the virus on to your friends, family, and coworkers who could get very sick or even die. Get your influenza vaccination every year!
Q: Am I at risk?
A: Yes. Influenza is most dangerous for people with health conditions like heart and lung disease, the very young and very old, and pregnant women. But anyone can become seriously sick from influenza – even young, healthy people.
Q: How can I protect myself from influenza?
A: Vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza. Everyone age 6 months and older should get vaccinated against influenza every year. Vaccination not only protects the person who gets immunized, it also protects the people around them – for example, babies who are too young to be vaccinated.
