They say the flu is ... is a throat swab in a medical office. Viral sore throats can come in a variety of flavors. Herpangina is a term for a sore throat caused by sores in the mouth.

A flu diagnosis is straightforward, and requires only a swab or swabs of nasal, oral, pharyngeal, or conjunctival mucosa and polymerase chain reaction test for influenza A virus, with subtyping to ...