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Careful: that antiviral drug may not be effective

	The flu virus mutates rapidly, so not all antiviral drugs are effective against all strains. Turn to ConsumerReportsHealth.org for information on the antiviral drugs that are ineffective for the 2005-06 flu season.
	Subscribe to ConsumerReportsHealth.org for expert advice and top-rated treatments for the flu.

Undoubtedly, you or someone you know has caught the flu. In fact, about 1 in 5 adults catch the flu annually. Consumer Reports Health is here to help with the best research about the flu, and expert evidence and advice about which treatments are best for you.

Key points about the flu

• Flu is an infection of your air passages (nose, throat and lungs). Symptoms are fever, body aches, chills and a dry cough.
• Flu vaccines contain dead or weakened flu viruses. Vaccines help the body make antibodies before it is infected by an actual flu virus.
• Typically, only the elderly (over 50) or very young (under 2), or those with other health problems, need a flu vaccine.
• Antiviral drugs may shorten the time your symptoms last, but only by about a day or so. Not enough evidence has been conducted to indicate whether antiviral drugs prevent flu complications (like pneumonia, etc).
• A type of avian flu (flu carried by birds) now infecting people (mostly in Asia) is called H5N1. This type of flu is much more severe than ordinary flu, causing half of those who catch it to die.

Antiviral drugs may shorten the time you suffer with flu symptoms. However, because flu viruses mutate (change) from year to year, do not assume that all antiviral medicines are effective against all flu strains. For example, two antiviral medicines, amantadine and rimantadine, are not recommended at all for the 2005-06 flu season because the type of flu virus people are catching in the U.S. is resistant to these drugs.

We encourage you to read our entire condition report and to consult with your doctor to learn more about the flu. As a Consumer Reports Health subscriber, you’ll have access to our expert research and recommendations, and you’ll be more confident and knowledgeable about which treatments are best for you.