Influenza, also called the "flu," is a highly contagious respiratory infection. It can cause fever, chills, headache, dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, and muscle aches. Unlike other common respiratory infections such as the common cold, influenza can cause extreme fatigue lasting several days to more than a week. Although nausea, vomiting and diarrhea can sometimes accompany influenza infection, especially in children, gastrointestinal symptoms are rarely prominent. The illness that people often call "stomach flu" is not influenza.
Influenza is spread easily from person to person primarily when an infected person coughs or sneezes. After a person has been infected with the virus, symptoms usually appear within 2 to 4 days. The infection is often considered contagious for another 3 to 4 days after symptoms appear. Each year, an estimated 10 to 20 percent of the population contracts influenza.
Persons with neuromuscular disease are at risk for complications that may arise from the flu. Please speak to your primary care physician or your neurologist about whether you should have the flu vaccine. The optimal time to vaccinate persons in high-risk groups is usually from October through November, because influenza activity in the United States generally peaks between late December and early March.
The MDA provides flu vaccines to any patient registered with one of the 43 neuromuscular diseases. Contact your MDA Clinic or the MDA office in your area for more information.
