It's winter and that means that winter illnesses are waiting to pounce

Influenza or 'the flu' is a common infectious, respiratory disease that affects between one in four and one in ten Canadians each year. It can also be serious and deadly.


Every year, up to 1,500 Canadians, mostly seniors, die from influenza-related pneumonia and many others die from other influenza related complications such as an aggravation of underlying chronic heart and lung disease.



It's time to take the flu seriously.



Canada's recent experience with SARS has given the country a heightened awareness about infectious diseases. One of the most important lessons learned from SARS is that prevention is key to containing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases.



There are many practical things that people can do to protect themselves against the spread of the flu.



What is the flu?



The flu or influenza, is an infectious, respiratory disease that begins in your nose and throat. The flu is caused by the highly contagious, influenza virus, and spreads rapidly from person to person - usually by a simple cough or a sneeze.

It has nothing to do with what some people call 'stomach flu' which causes abdominal upset and diarrhea.



There are many viruses that are in the environment around us, passing from person to person or through contaminated objects.

This is even more of a problem when we're all crowded indoors during the colder months. Some of these viruses cause a simple cold. Others cause influenza.