September 22, 2023 - This fall CDC launched a new flu vaccine campaign called Wild to Mild to share key information with the public about how getting a flu vaccine can reduce your risk of flu and its potentially serious outcomes.

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) invests in a national awareness campaign to educate the general population about the importance of influenza vaccination.

It's rolling out new ads it hopes will increase confidence in the vaccines with a clear, straightforward message: The flu vaccine won't keep a person from getting sick, but it will tame that infection, taking it from “Wild to Mild” - the tagline for the new campaign.

Flu, also called influenza, is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs, which are part of the respiratory system. The flu is caused by a virus. Influenza is commonly called the flu, but it's different from the stomach "flu" viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting.

The influenza models that are most frequently used are the mouse adapted H1N1 viral model or the ferret model. Mice are not naturally susceptible to human strains of influenza, the virus therefore needs to be passaged several times in order to cause infection.

Flu, also called influenza, is an infection of the nose, throat and lungs, which are part of the respiratory system. The flu is caused by a virus. Influenza is commonly called the flu, but it's different from the stomach "flu" viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The best way to prevent flu is by getting a flu vaccine each year.

Influenza comes from Italian, from the Medieval Latin word influentia meaning "influence." It was used to describe epidemics because of the belief that they were due to the influence of the stars. The term was shortened to flu in the first half of the 19th century.

Acute viral infection of the respiratory tract. From Latin influentia, “to flow into”; in medieval times, intangible fluid given off by stars was believed to affect humans. The Italian influenza referred to any disease outbreak thought to be influenced by stars.

There are 4 types of influenza viruses, types A, B, C and D. Influenza A and B viruses circulate and cause seasonal epidemics of disease. Influenza A viruses are further classified into subtypes according to the combinations of the proteins on the surface of the virus.

Influenza, commonly known as 'the flu', is an illness caused when an influenza virus infects the respiratory tract – your nose and lung.

This is a picture of an influenza (flu) A virus. Influenza A viruses are classified by subtypes based on the properties of their hemagglutinin (H or HA) and neuraminidase (N or NA) surface proteins. There are 18 different HA subtypes and 11 different NA subtypes.