Interesting Facts

The name influenza comes from the Italian word, influenza, meaning "influence" (Latin: influentia). (It refers to the cause of the disease; which ascribed illness to unfavorable astrological influences. Changes in medical thought led to its modification to influenza del freddo, meaning "influence of the cold". The word was first used in English in 1743 when it was adopted, with an anglicized pronunciation, during an outbreak of the disease in Europe. Archaic terms for influenza include epidemic catarrh, grippe (from the French), sweating sickness, and Spanish fever (particularly for the 1918 pandemic strain). No matter what you call it it's horrible.)

According to the CDC (Centre for Disease Control), around 36,000 people in the USA die from influenza-related complications each year. (Actually records are confusing and not that well kept, so it could be more, or less.)

Every winter influenza kills about 12,000 people in the UK. (Guess what?   I just had my flu jab.)

Spanish Flu, the influenza epidemic that killed 50 million people in 1918/9, was known as French Flu in Spain. (Now we just blame birds and piggies.)