The best magazine
Written or reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Board.
The flu can make even the healthiest among us feel miserable. For some people, it can also be life threatening. Although even healthy people can get really sick and die from the flu, a majority of flu deaths occur in people that are in high risk groups. Adults over the age of 65, young children under 2 years old, pregnant women, people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma or heart disease and anyone with a compromised immune system are more likely to develop complications from the flu, be hospitalized with it or lose their lives to it.
Since you are contagious with the flu from a day before symptoms start until 5 to 7 days after you get sick, it's important to be aware of who you come into contact with.
Source: ...