Influenza

Influenza or as it is commonly known the flu is a contagious disease caused by an RNA virus of the orthomyxoviridae family. The name comes from the old medical belief in unfavourable astrological influences as the cause of the disease.

There are three types of the virus:

Influenza A viruses that infect mammals (humans, pigs, ferrets, horses) and birds
Influenza B viruses that infect only humans
Influenza C viruses that infect only humans

The A type of virus is the most virulent and causes epidemics and pandemics. Where a finer grained classification of the virus strain is needed, this is done by reference to the structural forms of two viral proteins (haemaglutinin and neuraminidase) that are essential to the virus' life cycle. Thus one might speak of H1N1 or H3N2 viral strains.

The virus attacks the respiratory tract, is transmitted from person to person by droplets, and causes the following symptoms:

Fever
Headache
Tiredness (can be extreme)
Dry cough
Sore throat
Nasal congestion and sneezing
Body aches

Although a lot of people in the western world will often call a heavy cold "flu", you know when you have got real influenza as its effects are much more severe and last longer. Typically influenza takes about 1-2 weeks to recover from. Flu can be a killer disease, especially for the weak, old or chronically ill. Some flu pandemics have killed millions of people, for example the "Spanish Flu" pandemic of 1918-1919, which is believed to have killed more people in total than World War I.

Most people who get influenza will recover in one to two weeks, but some people will develop life-threatening complications (such as pneumonia) as a result of the flu. Millions of people in the United States — about 10% to 20% of U.S. residents — will get influenza each year. An average of about 36,000 people per year in the United States die from influenza, and 114,000 per year have to be admitted to the hospital as a result of influenza. Anyone can get the flu (even healthy people), and serious problems from influenza can happen at any age. People age 65 years and older, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, and very young children are more likely to get complications from influenza. Pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus and ear infections are three examples of complications from flu.

The flu can make chronic health problems worse. For example, people with asthma may experience asthma attacks while they have the flu, and people with chronic congestive heart failure may have worsening of this condition that is triggered by the flu.

Influenza is an extremely variable disease: similar viruses are found in pigs and domestic fowl. In areas where there are high concentrations of humans, pigs and birds in close proximity, such as parts of Asia, simultaneous infections across species enable genetic material to be exchanged between the various strains of flu. This appears to be the principal method by which new infectious strains arise. It is believed that sooner or later, a recombination may occur to produce a strain as lethal as the 1918 virus. In late 1997, a new strain of influenza originating from chickens infected 18 people in Hong Kong, of whom 6 died. This strain did not appear to be readily transmissible from human to human, but such a high mortality rate, and the possibility of a further recombination to make it more infectious, meant that the risk was considered so great that all domestic poultry in Hong Kong was slaughtered. As of April 2002, there have been no further human infections with this particular strain.

Prevention

It is possible to get vaccinated against Influenza, however due to the high mutability of the virus the vaccine is usually only good for a year or so. The World Health Organization co-ordinates the contents of the vaccine each year to contain the most likely strains of the virus to attack the next year. The vaccine is usually recommended for anyone in a high-risk group who may suffer complications from a real flu attack.

Treatment

Antiviral treatments :

Amantadine
Rimantadine
Oselatamivir

The Myth of the "Stomach Flu"

Many people use the term "stomach flu" to describe illnesses with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. These symptoms can be caused by many different viruses, bacteria, or even parasites. While vomiting, diarrhea, and being nauseous or “sick to your stomach” can sometimes be related to the flu — particularly in children — these problems are rarely the main symptoms of influenza. The flu is a respiratory disease and not a stomach or intestinal disease.

External Links

Some of this article has been taken from the public domain CDC publication http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/fluinfo.htm

Synonyms within Context: Influenza

Context	Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).
Disease	Ague, angina pectoris, appendicitis; Asiatic cholera, spasmodic cholera; biliary calculus, kidney stone, black death, bubonic plague, pneumonic plague; blennorrhagia, blennorrhoea; blood poisoning, bloodstroke, bloody flux, brash; breakbone fever, dengue fever, malarial fever, Q-fever; heart attack, cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy; hardening of the arteries, arteriosclerosis, atherosclerosis; bronchocele, canker rash, cardialgia, carditis, endocarditis; cholera, asphyxia; chlorosis, chorea, cynanche, dartre; enanthem, enanthema; erysipelas; exanthem, exanthema; gallstone, goiter, gonorrhea, green sickness; grip, grippe, influenza, flu; hay fever, heartburn, heaves, rupture, hernia, hemorrhoids, piles, herpes, itch, king's evil, lockjaw; measles, mumps, polio; necrosis, pertussis, phthisis, pneumonia, psora, pyaemia, pyrosis, quinsy, rachitis, ringworm, rubeola, St. Vitus's dance, scabies, scarlatina, scarlet fever, scrofula, seasickness, struma, syntexis, tetanus, tetter, tonsillitis, tonsilitis, tracheocele, trachoma, trismus, varicella, varicosis, variola, water qualm, whooping cough; yellow fever, yellow jack.
Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

Crosswords: Influenza

English words defined with "influenza": Asiatic flu ♦ myxovirus ♦ orthomyxovirus ♦ Q fever ♦ Reye's syndrome. (references)

Specialty definitions using "influenza": All-overish, Amantadine, avian influenza ♦ EGG PROCESSOR, equine influenza ♦ Fowl Plague ♦ Glycophorin, goose influenza ♦ HLA-A2 Antigen, hog flu ♦ infected poultry, Influenza A Virus, Influenza A Virus, Avian, Influenza A Virus, Human, Influenza A Virus, Porcine, Influenza B Virus, Influenzavirus A, B, Influenzavirus C ♦ Katerfelto ♦ pig flu, pig influenza, Pneumonia, Staphylococcal, poultry suspected of being contaminated, poultry suspected of being infected ♦ Rimantadine ♦ swine influenza, swine influenza virus, swine influenzavirus. (references)

Non-English Usage: "Influenza" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses.

Danish (flu, grip, influenza), Dutch (flu, grip, influenza), German (influenza), Hungarian (flu, flue, grip, grippe, influenza), Italian (ascendancy, control, flu, grippe, hold, influence, influenza, leverage, pull), Portuguese (flubdub, influenza), Spanish (influenza).

Commercial Usage: Influenza

Domain	Title
References	The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Influenza (reference) (more reference examples)

Books	America's Forgotten Pandemic : The Influenza of 1918 (reference) Influenza (reference) Influenza 1918: The Worst Epidemic in American History (The American Experience) (reference) Influenza and Other Viruses (Perspectives on Disease and Illness) (reference) Influenza Vaccination for Healthy Young Adults [DOWNLOAD: PDF] (reference) (more book examples)

Theater & Movies	Influenza 1918: The American Experience (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Image Slideshow: Influenza

Photo Album: Influenza

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	Use of a jet injector during the 1976 New Jersey Influenza A immunization project. 45 million adults in the United States received a vaccine containing the A/New Jersey/76 influenzavirus ("swine flu" virus).Credit: CDC.		Stored boxes of swine influenza vaccine.Credit: CDC.
	During the flu outbreak of 1918 H. influenzae was termed Pfeiffer's Bacillus, where it was found in the sputum of many influenza patients, and thought to be the cause of influenza.Credit: CDC.		The flu vaccination shortage was caused by a slow-growing component of this year's vaccine formulation, along with production problems at two of the four pharmaceutical companies licensed to produce influenza vaccine in the United States. (File photo, 199.
	U.S. American National Red Cross Hospital No.3, Paris, France. : Interior view- Influenza Ward.Credit: National Library of Medicine.		Great Britain, British Red Cross Society Voluntary Aid Detachment Hospital, Newton-Abbot, England. : Nurses and influenza patients.Credit: National Library of Medicine.
	[Public Health: A child with influenza, her mother, and a visiting nurse from a local Child Welfare Association].Credit: National Library of Medicine.		[Physician's assistant receives influenza vaccination] / WHO p.Credit: National Library of Medicine; photo by T. Farkas..
	The Cost Of The Common Cold & Influenza : Help To Keep The Nation Fighting Fit.Credit: National Library of Medicine.		View looking to the eastward from the front of the then-new Navy Department Building, with the Pan American Union building to the left and the Ellipse in the center, 1919. Ramps on the building at far left were used to facilitate removal of victims of the Spanish influenza. The structure was a temporary office building converted to a hospital. Note the presence of a few horse-drawn vehicles amid the many automobiles.Credit: NAVY.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Sounds Captioned with "Influenza".

Non-Fiction Usage: Influenza

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		Humans very rarely get influenza infections directly from animals. (references)
		Wild birds are the reservoir for all subtypes of influenza A viruses. (references)
		A number of tests can help in the diagnosis of influenza (see table). (references)
Business		Approximately 265,000 deaths were registered in 1997. The primary causes of mortality include heart and coronary diseases (28.6 percent); malignant tumors (19.2 percent); cerebrovascular diseases (8.5 percent); accidents (3.6 percent); blood disorders (4.1 percent); pneumonia and influenza (3.4 percent); nervous system disorders (2.0 percent); infections (1.8 percent); and other causes (28.9 percent). (references)
Economic History	India	There is a need for new biotech-based vaccines for HIV, cancer, diarrheal diseases, influenza virus, contraception, rotavirus, TB, malaria, H.influenza and pneumonia. (references)
	Australia	Furthermore, as Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, trials on seasonal-related illnesses, such as allergy/asthma or influenza conditions, can be conducted in alternate seasons, thereby accelerating therapy development times. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Usage Frequency: Influenza

Expression: Influenza

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Influenza

Modern Translations: Influenza

Language		Translations for "influenza"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Afrikaan		griep (flu, grip). (various references)

Albanian		influencë (drag, effect, influence, pull, reaction), grip (flu, grip, grippe). (various references)

Arabic		‏النزلة الوافدة, ‏إنفلونزا. (various references)

Basque		gripe (flu). (various references)

Bulgarian		грип (flu, flue, grip), инфлуенца. (various references)

Catalan		grip (flu, grip). (various references)

Chinese		流行性感�' . (various references)

Czech		chřipka (flu). (various references)

Danish		influenza (flu, grip, grippe). (various references)

Dutch		influenza (flu, grip, grippe), griep (flu, grip, grippe). (various references)

Esperanto		gripo (flu, grip). (various references)

Faeroese		krímsjúka (flu, grip), krím (flu, grip). (various references)

Farsi		نزله وباءی یاهمه جاگیر, گریپ (Grip, Grippe), زکام (Cold, Headcold, Sniffle, Snivel). (various references)

Finnish		influenssa. (various references)

French		grippe. (various references)

Frisian		gryp (flu, grip). (various references)

German		Grippe (flu, grip, grippe), Influenza (grippe). (various references)

Greek		γρίπη (flu, grippe). (various references)

Hebrew		שפעת (flu, grippe). (various references)

Hungarian		influenza (flu, flue, grip, grippe). (various references)

Indonesian		influensa (flu), flu (a cold). (various references)

Italian		influenza (ascendancy, control, flu, grippe, hold, influence, leverage, pull). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		流行性感�' (flu), 流感 (cold, flu), インフラ開発 (inflation, influence, influenza virus, infrastructure development). (various references)

Japanese Katakana		りゅうか�" (cold, flu, sweat), りゅう�"うせいか�"ぼう (flu), インフルエンザ . (various references)

Korean		� 행성감기. (various references)

Manx		murran (plague), floo (flu). (various references)

Norwegian		influensa. (various references)

Occitan		gripa (flu). (various references)

Papiamen		grip (flu, grip). (various references)

Pig Latin		influenzaay

Polish		grypa (flu, grip). (various references)

Portuguese		influenza (flubdub, grippe), gripe (flu, grip, grippe, gripsack, influx). (various references)

Romanian		influenţã (action, ascendancy, authority, carry over, credit, effect, force, hold, impact, influence, leaven, potency, push, reaction, weight), gripã (flue, grippe). (various references)

Russian		грипп (flu, flue, grip, grippe), инфлюэнца (grip). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		influenca, grip (flu, grippe). (various references)

Spanish		gripe (flu, grip, grippe), influenza (grippe). (various references)

Sranan		agrabu (flu, grip). (various references)

Swedish		influensa (flu, flue). (various references)

Turkish		grip (flu, grippe). (various references)

Ukranian		інфлюенца, грип (flu, grippe). (various references)

Welsh		anwydwst (flu). (various references)

Zulu		imfluwenza (flu, grip). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Ancestral Language Translations: Influenza

Derivations & Misspellings: Influenza

Rhyming with "Influenza"

Anagrams: Influenza

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-e-f-i-l-n-n-u-z"
	-2 letters: fanzine.
	-3 letters: annuli, finale, funnel, unnail.
	-4 letters: alien, aline, anile, annul, azine, elain, elfin, ennui, final, fuzil, inane, liane, linen, ulnae.
	-5 letters: alef, alif, anil, elan, fail, fain, fane, faun, faze, feal, fila, file, fine, flan, flea, flue, fuel, fuze, ilea, lain, lane, laze, leaf, lean, lief, lien, lieu, life, line, linn, luna, lune.
	Words containing the letters "a-e-f-i-l-n-n-u-z"
	+1 letter: influenzal, influenzas.
	+3 letters: fluphenazine.
	+4 letters: fluphenazines, parainfluenza.
	+5 letters: parainfluenzas, sulfinpyrazone.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Alternative Orthography: Influenza

Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)

49 6E 66 6C 75 65 6E 7A 61

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)

American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)

⁼

Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)

Braille (1829, in France) (references)

Morse Code (1836) (references)

.. -. ..-. .-.. ..- . -. --.. .-

Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)

Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)

01001001 01101110 01100110 01101100 01110101 01100101 01101110 01111010 01100001

HTML Code (1990) (references)

&#73 &#110 &#102 &#108 &#117 &#101 &#110 &#122 &#97

ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)

0049 006E 0066 006C 0075 0065 006E 007A 0061

British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)

Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)

Play	Caption
	Cough; illness; flu; influenza; cold; chest cold; coughing.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	97.86%	137	27,138
Noun (proper)	2.14%	3	202,518
Total	100.00%	140	N/A

Expressions using "influenza": avian influenza ♦ be down with influenza ♦ down with influenza ♦ equine influenza ♦ goose influenza ♦ Influenza A Virus ♦ Influenza B Virus ♦ Influenza Vaccine ♦ influenza virus ♦ outbreak of influenza ♦ pig influenza ♦ swine influenza ♦ swine influenza virus. Additional references.
Hypenated Usage
	Ending with "influenza": para-influenza.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
influenza	434	even influenza stevens	6
influenza virus	40	equina influenza	5
haemophilus influenza	40	h influenza	5
influenza vaccine	38	1918 influenza pandemic	4
avian influenza	37	influenza virus picture	4
influenza 1918	20	influenza porcina	4
influenza symptom	19	equine influenza	4
swine influenza	19	influenza musical	4
spanish influenza	16	influenza b	4
antibody b influenza virus	14	spanish influenza epidemic	3
1918 influenza epidemic	12	de influenza la virus	3
influenza epidemic	11	even influenza lyrics stevens	3
influenza picture	10	impact influenza	3
influenza pandemic	9	elisa equine influenza virus	3
influenza aviar	8	hemophilus influenza	3
influenza disease	8	1918 spanish influenza	3
influenza information	7	impact influenza information	3
history of influenza	7	cdc influenza	3
epidemiology influenza	6	cost influenza	3
influenza treatment	6	influenza sintomi	2
		influenza vaccination	2
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language	Period	Translations
Italian	900-Modern	influenza. (various references)
French	1500-Modern	grippe. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Domain	Definitions
Health	An acute viral infection involving the respiratory tract. It is marked by inflammation of the nasal mucosa, the pharynx, and conjunctiva, and by headache and severe, often generalized, myalgia. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "influenza": influenzal, influenzas. (additional references)
	Words ending with "influenza": parainfluenza. (additional references)
	Words containing "influenza": parainfluenzas. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Influenza" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: enfluenza, influen, influens, influenzae, influenze, influnza. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "influenza" (pronounced i'nfluwe"nzu)
3	-n z u	bonanza, extravaganza, kwanza, stanza.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Influenza

Definition: Influenza

Influenza

Noun

Specialty Definitions: Influenza

Specialty Definition: Influenza

The Myth of the "Stomach Flu"

Synonyms: Influenza

Synonyms within Context: Influenza

Disease

Crosswords: Influenza

Commercial Usage: Influenza

References

Books

Theater & Movies

Image Slideshow: Influenza

Computer Images:Influenza

Photo Album: Influenza

Sounds Captioned with "Influenza".

Non-Fiction Usage: Influenza

Usage Frequency: Influenza

Expression: Influenza

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Influenza

influenza vaccination

Modern Translations: Influenza

Afrikaan

Albanian

Arabic

Basque

Bulgarian

Catalan

Chinese

Czech

Danish

Dutch

Esperanto

Faeroese

Farsi

Finnish

French

Frisian

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hungarian

Indonesian

Italian

Japanese Kanji

Japanese Katakana

Korean

Manx

Norwegian

Occitan

Papiamen

Pig Latin

Polish

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Serbo-Croatian

Spanish

Sranan

Swedish

Turkish

Ukranian

Welsh

Zulu

Ancestral Language Translations: Influenza

Derivations & Misspellings: Influenza

Derivations

Misspellings

Rhyming with "Influenza"

Anagrams: Influenza

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Alternative Orthography: Influenza

49 6E 66 6C 75 65 6E 7A 61

.. -. ..-. .-.. ..- . -. --.. .-

01001001 01101110 01100110 01101100 01110101 01100101 01101110 01111010 01100001

&#73 &#110 &#102 &#108 &#117 &#101 &#110 &#122 &#97

0049 006E 0066 006C 0075 0065 006E 007A 0061

Computer Images:
Influenza