MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Flu and holidays

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Flu and holidays

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Alternative Names	Information

Alternative Names

Holidays and the flu

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Question:

Why is the flu more common during the holiday season?

Answer:

The combination of being indoors more frequently, being exposed to more people at social occasions, and being under increased stress during the holidays can explain the higher incidence of the flu. The holiday season also often occurs during the peak or near peak of the annual influenza "epidemic." See influenza.

Update Date: 1/18/2007

Updated by: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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