Influenza

Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms can be mild to severe. The most common symptoms include: a high fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pains, headache, coughing, and feeling tired. These symptoms typically begin two days after exposure to the virus and most last less than a week. The cough, however, may last for more than two weeks. In children, there may be nausea and vomiting, but these are not common in adults. Nausea and vomiting occur more commonly in the unrelated infection gastroenteritis, which is sometimes inaccurately referred to as "stomach flu" or "24-hour flu". Complications of influenza may include viral pneumonia, secondary bacterial pneumonia, sinus infections, and worsening of previous health problems such as asthma or heart failure.

Three types of influenza viruses affect people, called Type A, Type B, and Type C. Usually, the virus is 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. A person may be infectious to others both before and during the time they are sick. The infection may be confirmed by testing the throat, sputum, or nose for the virus. A number of rapid tests are available; however, people may still have the infection if the results are negative. A type of polymerase chain reaction that detects the virus's RNA is more accurate.

Flu (disambiguation)

Flu is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses.

Flu or FLU may also refer to:

Medicine

Influenza

Other diseases

Other uses

Flu (film)

Flu (Hangul: 감기; RR: Gamgi) is a 2013 South Korean disaster film written and directed by Kim Sung-su about an outbreak of a deadly disease which throws a city into chaos. It stars Jang Hyuk and Soo Ae.

Plot

A group of illegal immigrants are smuggled to South Korea inside a shipping container, but when it's opened in the affluent Seoul suburb of Bundang by traffickers, it's discovered that all of the immigrants are dead, except for one man, a carrier of a deadly strain of H5N1 (avian influenza, or bird flu). As the man escapes, he quickly spreads the virus to nearby residents. Mir (Park Min-ha), daughter of a single mother Kim In-hae (Soo Ae), meets the man, named Mossai, and gives him some food and tells him to wait as she calls rescue worker and paramedic Kang Ji-goo (Jang Hyuk). However, as he arrives, Mossai is nowhere to be found.

One of the traffickers presents himself at a trauma centre with the symptoms of the flu. Doctors are perplexed on his condition and consider the diagnosis of H5N1. His accompanying brother becomes aggressive as a "Code Blue" is declared over the hospital's intercom, indicating that his brother has entered cardiac arrest. He runs into the isolation room of his brother, who has already expired.