Flu

Synonyms

Medical: Influenza In the broader sense: real flu, virus fluThe disease known as “flu” is a sudden infection that occurs more frequently during the cold seasons and is caused by viruses. Depending on the individual’s immune system, an infection with the flu virus can proceed in different ways. While some people affected only develop mild symptoms, others react to the virus infection with severe discomfort and a pronounced symptom pattern.

Due to the fact that the classic flu tends to be mild, especially during the first few days, it is often mistaken for a common cold. Only when the clinical picture is fully developed does the severity of the course of the illness reveal the clear difference between a cold and viral flu. In addition, the sudden onset of the symptoms is an indication of the presence of flu.

Flu-like infections or simple colds usually creep in rather slowly. The incubation period (time from the infection to the development of the first symptoms) can last from a few hours to three to four days. Infected persons are already highly contagious during the incubation period, i.e. before they themselves become ill. After the outbreak of the first symptoms, there is still a high risk of infection for about three to five days.

Causes of influenza

The cause of a classical flu infection is the infection with a specific viral pathogen. The so-called influenza viruses (influenza viruses) are generally divided into three groups. According to this classification, influenza viruses are divided into types A, B and C. Especially those viruses of type A or B can, after successful transmission in humans, lead to severe infections of the respiratory tract and the appearance of influenza.

Influenza viruses of type C, on the other hand, are only rarely able to cause serious symptoms in adults. Even children suffer only mild symptoms, if at all, after infection with influenza type C viruses. For this reason, influenza viruses of types A and B are among the most important causes of influenza in Central Europe.