Introduction to the flu: For many people, cold and flu have
become an inseparable pair, like salt and pepper or New Year’s
and weight loss. Walking down the “cold and flu” aisle of any
drugstore, you will find stacks of bright boxes with bold claims
of help for those suffering from a cold or the flu. Since the
two illnesses share some similar symptoms, and both come during
“cold and flu season,” the two often run together in people’s
minds. We have a vague idea that they are different, but if
pressed, have a hard time saying exactly how. The cold is much
more common. The flu is much more serious. What is the flu? A
single family of viruses – the influenza viruses – causes the
flu. Unlike with the common cold, both adults and children with
the flu generally have a fever and feel sick all over. For the
great majority of people, the illness is quite unpleasant but
not dangerous. However, the flu can be quite a serious illness.
The most deadly recent worldwide outbreak was the flu epidemic
at the beginning of the