You've probably read or heard that one of the major flus going around is a return of the Asiatic flu, which is prob. the B virus & there's also some A viruses going around. This 1st one tho is making people very sick. My granddaughter had it & it's not a 24 or 48 hr. thing but about twice that long & leaves you achy after...so if you get it, stick around the house away from people for longer than just 48 hrs. Now's not the time to drag yourself to work, half dead & exposing other people. Granddaughter Sarah also had a bad headache , hi fever, eyes hurt, everything ached , was hard to get her to eat or drink & the drinking fluids, more than normal, is essential. Tho John & I have taken care of her thru this , we didn't get it , & that means we either had it before or were prevented from getting it by getting a flu shot , which we always do...also the Dr. suggested her brother , parents & us get a prescription for Tamiflu which is taken 2 x a day for 5 days per pill. This either prevents it altogether or if you get it, it won't last as long. The poor children have to take it in lower liquid doseages & it's the most vile tasting stuff imaginable. It's expensive tho. Many schools have closed down here for a few days , hoping to let it run its course & to thoroughly clean the school I feel all of us should take the flu vaccine each year. They used to make the stuff with live viruses & you could get sick after a shot....but now they make it with dead viruses so it's impossible to get the flu from taking the shot. If you do get the flu , it's probably because you were already exposed to it & coming down with it anyway & it still might be milder for having the vaccine. If you haven't had a vaccine as yet you might consider asking your Dr. about getting one...this is a bad flu. Pat H.