flu

flu

Contents of the page
What is influenza
Syndrome
Causes and risk factors
Multiples
treatment
protection
Influenza is a viral disease characterized by widespread seasonal outbreaks. The cause is the influenza virus, which is transmitted from person to person through the respiratory system.

Characteristics of influenza
Influenza has a number of unique features that include:

Fixed seasonality: The influenza virus causes influenza in winter in the northern hemisphere, in summer in the southern half and in rainy seasons in the tropics.
The ability to change: The flu virus changes, at a high rate, the structure of proteins on its surface, deceiving the immune system that had produced antibodies against the previous version. Thus, influenza can affect the same person more than once.
The disease is widespread: when an influenza outbreak affects a very large number of children and adults (about a third of children and 10% of adults), leading to frequent absences from work and school, creates severe pressure on hospitals and clinics.
The incubation period for influenza is short (less than 1-4 days). After the incubation period, the following symptoms begin: headache, chills, cough, and later: high temperature, mucus and muscle aches. A high temperature lasts 3-6 days, but a cough accompanied by phlegm can last up to two weeks.

A person with the flu can transmit the infection from 1 to 2 days before it fever and up to 5 days after it has risen.

The signs and symptoms of influenza are disturbing, but they go away and disappear on their own after a few days. However, the problem of influenza is mainly related to its possible complications including: pneumonia (or: pneumonia), bronchitis (or: bronchitis), ear infections and nervous system complications.

Specific groups are more likely to have influenza complications. They include: elderly, patients with chronic respiratory diseases (including asthma-Asthma), heart patients, kidney patients, diabetics, patients with congenital or acquired immune deficiency, steroid-treated patients Chemotherapy, pregnant women and newborns. These groups suffer from a significant increase in the rate of influenza complications and a high rate of hospitalization and death due to the disease and its complications. It is therefore necessary to prevent or minimize the effects of influenza among members of these groups, to the extent possible.

Flu symptoms
Influenza, in its infancy, appears as colds, stuffy nose, sneezing and sore throat. But the common cold usually develops slowly, while influenza appears and infects suddenly. While colds can be just a transient nuisance, influenza generates a very bad general feeling.

  Common symptoms of influenza include:

Body temperature rises above 38 degrees in adults and 39.5 - 40 degrees in children and boys
Chills and sweats
a headache
dry cough
Feeling of general weakness and fatigue
Stuffy nose;
Anorexia
Diarrhea and vomiting in children
Causes and risk factors for influenza
Influenza viruses circulate in the air in very small drops, from coughing, sneezing or even talking to someone who is sick with the flu. These drops can be inhaled directly from the air, or can be touched by a purpose, such as a telephone set, a computer keyboard, the computer itself or others, and then transferred to the eyes, nose or mouth.
Influenza is divided into three groups (varieties) of viruses: A, B and C:

Influenza A - can be the leading cause of deadly global epidemics, striking every 10 to 40 years.
 Influenza viruses of type A and B can be, together or separately, the cause of the spread of influenza that appears every winter. No link has been found between the influenza virus type C and the emergence of an influenza pandemic.
Flu C - is a relatively stable virus, while viruses of type A and B are undergoing permanent changes, as new varieties are constantly emerging.
The body produces antibodies against the type of flu it has infected, but these antibodies do not prevent the disease from influenza virus of another type. Therefore, doctors recommend vaccination against influenza, annually.

At-risk category
The most vulnerable groups are:

Infants and young children
People over the age of 50
People living in shelters for the elderly or in nursing homes for a long time
People with chronic disease such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney, or lungs
People with a weakened immune system, as a result of taking medications or because of HIV
Pregnant women during the flu season
Workers in therapeutic and medical institutions or elsewhere where they may be exposed to the flu virus
People in close and permanent contact with infants or children
Children who receive long-term aspirin therapy may be more susceptible to the flu virus.

Complications of influenza
If you are generally healthy, influenza will not pose a serious risk to your health.

Although you are likely to feel very upset and upset, influenza usually goes away with no long-term effects.
 However, children and the elderly, at a relatively high risk, may experience complications, such as:

 Ear infections
Acute sinus infections
Bronchial infections
Pneumonia
Meningitis
Of these complications, pneumococci, a serious bacterial contamination of the lungs, is the most common and dangerous complication to the extent that it can be fatal for the elderly and those with chronic diseases. Therefore, vaccination against pneumonia and influenza virus provides optimal protection.

Flu treatment
Flu is treated with medications to relieve symptoms, such as drugs to lower body temperature and to relieve nasal mucus and cough.

1- Drugs
Two drugs designed to limit the spread of the flu virus in the body have recently been introduced to the market. These two properties:

Tamiflu
Relenza
Effective only if taken on the first two days of influenza, or as a prophylaxis after exposure to the virus.

2- Medicines
Drugs designed to treat influenza A and B viruses work by neutralizing the enzyme needed by the virus to grow and spread. If medication is taken immediately after the first symptoms of influenza, this can help shorten the duration of the disease by one to two days.
These drugs may cause side effects, such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and breathing problems. They can also lead to the development of viruses resistant to antiviral drugs.
In November 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanded the manufacturer of Tamiflu to add a label to the label attached to the drug for patients with influenza, especially children, from the risk of confusion and self-harm caused by taking this drug (Tamiflu - Tamiflu).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises people with influenza who take Tamiflu to stay under constant surveillance to detect signs of unusual behavior. In any case, it is recommended to always consult a doctor before taking any medication, in general, or an antiviral drug in particular.

Prevention of influenza
The best way to treat the damage and complications of influenza is to prevent the disease.

However, influenza cannot be prevented by a one-time vaccination. Vaccine must be obtained annually to suit new variants of influenza viruses.
It is important to vaccinate people at risk before winter (in September-October).

It is also recommended to vaccinate:

Healthy adults over 50 years of age
Women who are expected to enter the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the influenza season
Health workers
On the contrary, vaccination should be encouraged for children and people who do not belong to the most vulnerable groups, especially young children aged 6 months to 2 years, as they may also be exposed to influenza complications.

Types of vaccine
There are two types of vaccines:

Killed virus vaccine, which contains the same deadly influenza virus, is the most accepted vaccine today given by injection, and the live attenuated virus vaccine that contains the virus itself is alive, but attenuated, a vaccine that is under ratification and authorization. Its advantage is that it is given as a nasal spray so that the distress caused by the injection is avoided.
Vaccine efficacy
Vaccine efficacy is very high (70% - 100%), and there is a match between vaccine classes and disease classes in the season in question. Efficacy decreases (approximately 40% -60%) in the absence of such a match, or when vaccination is given to the elderly and infants, although the effectiveness against complications of the disease remains high, even in these cases as well.

The vaccine does not cause influenza. Its side effects are simple and ephemeral, but it is not suitable for people who are allergic to eggs.


By Dr Mahad Shah
Ms Productions