Influenza

About

Influenza, also called "flu," is a viral illness that causes fever, sore throat, muscle aches and cough. Influenza can weaken the body's defenses and lead to complications like bacterial pneumonia. It can also worsen existing chronic health problems like heart disease and diabetes.

The flu season begins in early October and can last as late in the year as May. During an average flu season, 36,000 Americans die and more than 200,000 are hospitalized because of complications from influenza. Some people, such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with certain chronic health conditions are more likely to have complications related to influenza. While most deaths occur among the elderly and people with chronic health conditions, deaths can also occur among younger adults and children.

Influenza Terms

Influenza: A virus that causes a contagious respiratory illness in a variety of animals and in humans.
Avian Influenza (also known as "bird flu"): Influenza A H5N1 causes mild to severe illness and death in bird populations. It has also been known, rarely, to cause illness in humans. When it is found in humans, it can cause severe respiratory illness and death.
Human Influenza (also known as "the flu" or seasonal influenza): A few strains of the influenza A virus can cause contagious respiratory illness in humans.
Pandemic Influenza: A newly introduced contagious strain of influenza that is found in humans around the world and is associated with an elevated rate of severe illness and death. A pandemic strain can be any influenza strain that is contagious and infectious to humans and for which humans have little or no natural immunity.

Prevention

The best prevention is to get a flu vaccine each year. Since influenza is primarily spread through respiratory droplets, the following infection prevention measures are also important:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing or coughing
• If a tissue is not available, sneeze or cough into your sleeve to contain the droplets (don't sneeze or cough into your hands)
• Clean hands with soap and water or decontaminate hands with an alcohol-based hand rub
• Stay home if you are ill.

For more information on preventing the flu and other diseases, see Infection Prevention Tips for Staying Healthy.

For information on preventing and controlling outbreaks of influenza in institutional settings, please visit Influenza Outbreak Prevention and Control in Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCF).

Surveillance

For the latest Georgia influenza information, see the Influenza Update.



For more information regarding influenza activity levels, visit http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/fluactivitysurv.htm

ILINet (Sentinel Providers) Surveillance

The Georgia Department of Public Health monitors influenza (flu) activity throughout the State with the help of volunteer sentinel providers (private providers, occupational health providers, student health clinics and emergency departments) as part of CDC's ILINet program. While each individual case of flu is not reportable to health authorities, we monitor the percent of providers' visits that are for an "influenza-like illness."



The Georgia Department of Public Health monitors the presenting symptoms of patients visiting participating hospital emergency departments and ambulatory care centers throughout the State on a daily basis. These symptoms are classified into syndromes. When visits for "influenza-like illness" begin to increase compared with background levels, we suspect that influenza is active in an area.

Flu Activity in Georgia

• All Seasons
• 2011-2012
• 2010-2011
• 2009-2010
• 2008-2009
• 2007-2008
• 2006-2007
• 2005-2006
• Summer 2005
• 2004-2005
• Summer 2004
• 2003-2004
• Summer 2003
• 2002-2003
• Summer 2002
• 2001-2002
• 2000-2001
• 1999-2000
• 1998-1999

For more information on influenza surveillance methodology, please visit Influenza Surveillance in Georgia.

Resources

For the General Public

Influenza: What You Need to Know
Seasonal Influenza
Keep Germs to Yourself! (Non-clinical) / ¡No riegues tus gérmenes  

For Schools

Is it a Cold or the Flu?  

For Health-care Providers
Keep Germs to Yourself! (Clinical) / ¡No riegues tus gérmenes!  
Keep Illness from Spreading! / ¡Evita la propagación de enfermedades!  

For Long-Term Care Facilities

Resources for Influenza Prevention and Control  
Influenza Outbreak Control in a Long-Term Care Facility  
Did You Know...  
Get Shot This Season!  
We Welcome You...But Not the Flu!