Flu

Flu is caused by a virus

Flu and complications linked to it kill hundreds of people in the UK each year. But despite massive investment in research into the virus, there is no cure.

However, there are vaccines which have some protective effect. These are normally administered to the elderly and the vulnerable each year.

But every few years a new strain of flu appears which spreads so rapidly that precautions cannot be developed in time.

This can lead to pandemics which threaten millions of lives. The worst flu pandemic this century was the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 which killed an estimated 40 million people - more than World War One.

What is flu?

Many people confuse flu with a common cold. There is a big degree of crossover between the two. Both are caused by viruses.

According to Cardiff's Common Cold Centre, the symptoms of a common cold include: Read more...