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COPYRIGHT 2003 Jannetti Publications, Inc.
Like clockwork, flu season in the Northern Hemisphere lasts from November through April. About 10% to 20% of U.S. residents will be stricken with influenza this year (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2003a). Influenza, commonly known as the tilt, is a contagious disease that is caused by influenza type A or B viruses. It attacks the respiratory tract, comes on suddenly, and often includes symptoms of fever, body aches, headache, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, and nasal congestion. Most people who get influenza recover in a week or 2, but over 114,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people die of influenza and its complications every year (CDC, 2003a).
Influenza is easily passed from person to person. The virus is primarily spread when a person who has the flu coughs, sneezes, or speaks and sends flu virus into the air. As others inhale the virus, it enters...
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