- What is flu?
Influenza is an illness caused by the influenza virus, one of the viruses that causes cold symptoms. It is also called the flu. Flu differs from the common cold because it has systemic symptoms such as fever, muscle aches and headaches that are much more pronounced than local symptoms such as runny nose, cough and sore throat. Influenza incidence is high from October to May, when the weather is cold and dry.
- Cause of flu
Persistent electron mutations in viruses lead to the emergence of antigenic viruses without immunity, and these nonimmune viruses spread rapidly between humans, causing pandemics.
- Symptoms of flu
Symptoms of the flu are more severe than the common cold. High fever accompanied by fatigue leads to severe headaches, chills and muscle pain. Symptoms of sore throat, cough, and runny nose also appear along with systemic symptoms.
If a healthy adult has a very bad cold and has symptoms severe enough to require 2~3 days off work, there is a high chance they have the flu.
In the case of children, they will drool a lot, lose their appetite, cry and have difficulty sleeping. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain appear frequently, and sometimes febrile convulsions occur.
- Diagnosis of influenza
Depending on the severity of the flu outbreak in the community, flu-like symptoms (influenza-like illness, fever + cough or sore throat) may be diagnosed clinically. In some cases, the diagnosis is confirmed by rapid antigen testing, RT-PCR testing, and throat culture testing.
- Treat flu
To cure the flu, rest and enough sleep are important. Patients at high risk of complications should be given the antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir as soon as possible. Even if you are not in the high-risk group, if complications or severe symptoms appear, you should still take antiviral drugs early. Children under 18 years of age are prohibited from taking aspirin because it can lead to Reye’s syndrome.
- Monitor and note flu
Patients usually have fever and systemic symptoms for 2 ~ 3 days, and then recover. After about 1 week, most symptoms improve. Cough can last for several weeks. Pneumonia is the most common complication. In particular, complications causing immunodeficiency in children and the elderly with chronic cardiopulmonary disease can lead to death.
If you have the flu, symptoms usually improve in about a week and it is not contagious. Therefore, patients infected with influenza should limit going out if possible. You should use a mask throughout your illness.
It is recommended to get an annual flu vaccine before the flu epidemic in September ~ November. It takes about 2 weeks to form preventable antibodies after vaccination.
Priority subjects for influenza vaccination include adults over 50 years of age, people with underlying diseases such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, chronic liver disease, malignant tumors, and patients with respiratory failure. reduced immune function, children 6~18 years old taking aspirin, people being treated or resuscitated in centralized facilities such as social welfare facilities and nursing homes, and physicians. However, the new flu epidemic is more common in young people, so all children over 6 months old and adults should get vaccinated against flu.
