Immunisation Canada
Questions and Answers About Influenza
| Q | What is influenza? |
| A | Influenza is an infection in the airways (throat, lungs, etc.). |
| Q | Is it the same as the “flu”? |
| A | Commonly know as “the flu”, its real name is influenza. |
| Q | What is stomach flu? |
| A | There is no such illness as 'stomach flu'. Stomach upsets can be caused by other viruses and microorganisms. |
| Q | What causes influenza? |
| A | Influenza is caused by the influenza virus. |
| Q | How is it spread? |
| A | The influenza virus spreads from one person to another in the spray from coughs and sneezes or through contamination of the hand by secretions. |
| Q | What does it do to you? |
| A | Influenza causes headaches, chills, a dry cough, body aches and fever. A bout of influenza can leave you bedridden 5 to 10 days. Full recovery may take up to 6 weeks. It also lowers your body's ability to fight off other infections, which can lead to pneumonia or bronchitis. |
| Q | How often can you get it? |
| A | A person can have influenza more than once. Here's why: The virus that causes influenza may belong to one of three different influenza virus families, A, B or C. Within these families there are a variety of strains. |
| Q | How do you prevent it? |
| A | The best method of influenza prevention is immunization. Another very important measure of prevention is regular, thorough handwashing. |
| Q | What is an epidemic? |
| A | An epidemic is an outbreak of disease that spreads within a specific region and/or country. |
| Q | What is a pandemic? |
| A | A pandemic is a sudden, widespread outbreak of a new strain of the influenza virus that has significant morbidity and mortality and is easily transferred between humans. |
| Q | When did pandemics occur? |
| A | In the 20th century, there were three pandemics, in 1918-1919, 1957-1958 and 1968-1969. The current H1N1 influenza pandemic began on June 11, 2009. |
| Q | When will we have another pandemic? |
| A | On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a pandemic. (external link) |
| Q | How many people have died in pandemics? |
| A | The Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19 (Spanish Flu) claimed well over 20 million lives, while each of the 2 other influenza pandemics of the 20th century had death tolls in the hundreds of thousands. |
| Q | How many Canadians die as a result of influenza every year? |
| A |
Every
year in
Canada,
seasonal influenza and its complications lead to an average 4,000 deaths
and 20,000 hospitalizations. Reference Canadian Immunization Guide. Evergreen edition. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/cig-gci/index-eng.php (external link) |