About 10 to 20 percent of the population contracts influenza (also know as the Flu) each year. For healthy children and adults, influenza is typically a moderately severe illness. Most people are back on their feet within a week. But for people with lung disease, influenza can be very severe and even fatal. It is responsible for an average of 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.
What is Influenza?
Influenza is a contagious disease caused by a virus that can infect many parts of the body, including the lungs. Influenza is spread easily from person to person, usually when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, chills, sore throat, nasal congestion, muscle aches, loss of appetite and general malaise. The American Lung Association encourages people of all ages to obtain an annual flu vaccine to reduce their chances of contracting the disease.
What is Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a serious infection or inflammation of the lungs. The air sacs in the lungs fill with pus or other liquid which blocks oxygen from reaching the bloodstream. If there is too little oxygen in the blood, the body's cells cannot work properly, which can lead to death.
Symptoms of pneumonia include fever, wheezing, cough, chills, rapid breathing, chest pains, loss of appetite, and general malaise.
Facts About Influenza and Pneumonia
Influenza Fact Sheet
Pneumonia Fact Sheet
Related Internet Resources:
These sites are not part of The American Lung Association Web site, and we have no control over their content or availability.
Pandemic Flu - Trust for America's Health www.pandemicfluandyou.org
National Foundation for Infectious Disease
Parent's Guide to Influenza
Influenza: A Virus Replication Graphic
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