Panel 34. The origin of the name “influenza” is very old and still debated, but it seems that influenza comes from the Italian expression influenza di freddo (under the influence of the cold), illustrating the fact that this disease occurs in winter. However, while winter is often the season for people suffering from flu-like syndromes, these syndromes are most of the time benign infections caused by other viruses, such as for example adenoviruses.