Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital infectious disease physician Mitchell Blass, MD, provides answers to the most commonly asked questions concerning the influenza virus.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this year’s season is the most severe since the swine flu pandemic of
2009, and tragically, 37 children have died from the flu this year in the United States.

In this video, Blass discusses flu symptoms and how the flu differs from the common cold, the importance of taking the flu vaccine, how long a person is contagious, and how to speed up recovery if you have been diagnosed with the flu.