# Influenza --- **Influenza**, commonly called **the flu** is a [[disease]] caused by an *influenza* [[virus]]. Although in common parlance it is often conflated with the common cold, it's actually a very serious disease. As a virus it is rather difficult to treat, because our antivirals are much less effective than our antibiotics. So the best defense against it is the influenza vaccine. A [[vaccine]] given as an intramuscular shot or a nasal spray. Suggested to be given every year as the influenza virus mutates rapidly because it's a [[virus#Nucleic Acids|RNA virus]]. ![[flu vs cold.png]] ## 1918 Flu The **1918 flu**, sometimes (quite unfairly) called the **Spanish Flu**, was an influenza pandemic that tore across the world around the time of the end of the second world war. It caused a huge death toll, partly due to virulent nature of the disease, but also partly due to negligent, or in some cases actively harmful, public health decisions by officials who prioritized "morale" over people's lives. ___