The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes that school administrators, teachers, staff, and parents are concerned about the flu, particularly its effects on children. Schools are instrumental in keeping their communities healthy by taking actions such as posting information about hand hygiene in restrooms, providing flu prevention messages in daily announcements, and being vigilant about cleaning and disinfecting classroom materials. This fact sheet presents answers to the following questions commonly asked by school administrators, teachers, staff, and parents about the flu: (1) What is influenza (flu) (2) How does the flu spread? (3) What are the symptoms of the flu? (4) How long is a person with flu virus contagious? (5) What is the difference between a cold and the flu? (6) How can you tell the difference between a cold and the flu? (7) What are the symptoms of the flu versus the symptoms of a cold? (8) What are influenza antiviral medications? (9) How are antiviral medications used for flu? and (9) What can I do to protect myself against the flu? Resources for further information are also presented.