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You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Flu Get its Name, What Does it Mean, and Where Did the Viral Infection Come From?

How Did the Flu Get its Name, What Does it Mean, and Where Did the Viral Infection Come From?

May 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

In 1743, an outbreak of a deadly cold-like fever originated in Italy and swept through Europe.

Because doctors believed that diseases and epidemics were ordained or influenced by the stars they called it, as the press reported it from Italy, an influenza.

The English word for influenza is influence, which although abbreviated to flu still means the disease flows from the influence of the heavens.

The common winter viral infection many of us catch every year is called the “flu”.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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