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Influenza

Influenza: what is it?

Influenza is an acute viral disease that affects primarily the respiratory system. Influenza is included in the category of acute respiratory viral infections.
The cause of the flu is not a weakening of the immune system and not hypothermia, but a special virus – the flu virus. Its feature is extreme mutability. The three types of influenza described in medicine (A, B and C) can alternate and also change their structure. Therefore, every year during the epidemic, our immune system encounters a new microorganism, which significantly complicates the fight against it.

Type A virus is “famous” for its abundance of severe forms of the disease and its high prevalence. Influenza C virus is the least aggressive microorganism. Type B is somewhere in between the intensity of the spread and the severity of the disease caused.
How does infection happen?

The source of infection with the flu is a sick person and only in rare cases some animals – pigs, birds. One should keep in mind that you can get infected from a person with an erased form of the flu, when its manifestations are minimal and may not be perceived by the person as a disease.

Influenza is transmitted by airborne droplets. A sick person, when coughing, sneezing and simply breathing, forms an infected “cloud” around him/her — particles of sputum and mucus. Inhalation of these particles is the way the flu virus enters the body of a still healthy person.

A cloud of suspended infected particles gradually settles on surrounding objects. Unfortunately, the influenza virus is relatively stable and can remain active in the environment for several hours. Passing by household items contaminated with the virus, doing tidy, using these things, we involuntarily shake off infected particles that again rise into the air and can enter the human respiratory system. This is the so-called air-dust transmission path.

What is the first sign of the flu?

Symptoms of influenza are known to most people, and yet it will be useful to repeat such important information.

The latent period – incubation – lasts from 5-6 hours to 3 days. During this time, the virus manages to penetrate through the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose into the body, and the immune system, meanwhile, attempts to prevent this. The duration of the incubation period depends on the type of virus, the profusion of the infection and the state of the immune system of a particular person. Following the incubation period, manifestations of the disease appear, which may have a slightly different sequence.

  1. Runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat are common initial symptoms of the disease;
  2. Weakness, body aches may be the first sign of an onset illness or follow the symptoms indicated in the previous paragraph;
  3. An increase in temperature usually occurs in the first hours of the disease. Influenza is characterized by severe fever with temperatures up to 104°F and even higher;
  4. The cough appears a little later and at first is characterized by unproductiveness – the cough is dry, it “tears” the trachea and bronchi. Gradually, the cough becomes wet, with the discharge of sputum. If the cough is “barking”, then the larynx becomes inflamed and breathing difficulties may occur.

Symptoms that are not typical for flu:

  1. Conjunctivitis, manifested by redness of the eyes and inflammatory discharge, which sticks together and forms a crust on the eyelashes;
  2. Severe runny nose;
  3. Pronounced intestinal manifestations. Influenza may cause single vomiting and diarrhea, which is a reaction of the body to the severity of the condition and not a viral lesion of the gastrointestinal tract. The so-called “intestinal flu” with repeated vomiting and loose stools has nothing to do with the flu – this disease is caused by a completely different virus.

With a successful course of the disease, the state of health improves on the 5-6th day, the temperature drops to normal levels. As a rule, recovery occurs on the 7-10th day. However, residual effects (weakness, fatigue, decreased performance) can last 2-3 weeks.

Complications

The most dangerous complications of influenza develop when the immune system is weak (for example, in the elderly and children), in the absence of treatment or inadequate treatment, in violation of the regimen.

Prevention of influenza

Flu treatment

First of all, it must be comprehensive. The doctor and patient have three tasks: to destroy the virus; help the immune system fight the infection; weaken the painful symptoms of the disease. These goals are achieved in different ways: both medicines of different pharmaceutical groups and natural remedies are used.

Medications

Antiviral therapy is paramount in influenza. The sooner you start using it, the better: after a few days from the onset of the disease, it will become less effective. Influenza drugs are not numerous. Adamantane derivatives (amantadine, rimantadine) are practically not used now: the swine flu pandemic in 2009 showed almost 100% resistance of viruses to them. The anatomical, therapeutic and chemical classification of WHO includes neuraminidase inhibitors zanamivir and oseltamivir, which prevents the virus from entering cells. These drugs most effectively cope with influenza pathogens. To alleviate the course of the flu, resort to symptomatic remedies. With a runny nose, vasoconstrictive drops are used (no longer than 5 days), with a sore throat – local antiseptics, with cough – mucolytic and expectorant drugs. To reduce the inflammatory response in influenza, doctors often prescribe NSAIDs based on paracetamol and ibuprofen. It is allowed to take antipyretic drugs only if the temperature exceeds 100° F, otherwise, you will prevent the body from fighting viruses.

Treatment with natural remedies

In childhood, we treated colds with compresses, mustard plasters and hot milk with honey. Many older people are convinced that this is the most suitable help for the flu. But nowadays, there are more effective, comfortable and safe ways to treat the flu. For example, according to the modern approach, there is absolutely no need to torment the patient with alcohol compresses and cans: there is no scientific evidence about their benefits, but harm is possible. Mustard plasters and hot foot baths are unacceptable at high temperatures, otherwise, they are safe distractions. At some points, medicine agrees with the experience of ancestors. So, with the flu, it is advised to drink more fluids in order to quickly remove intoxication, so tea with raspberries will definitely not hurt the patient. Thus, each of the usual methods needs critical evaluation. We do not urge to completely abandon traditional medicine, but it makes sense to reconsider the “grandfather” recipes in accordance with new views on treatment. And do not forget that the main role in the fight against influenza belongs to antiviral therapy.

Antiviral drugs

Although vaccination is the preferred method of prevention, antiviral drugs are also effective.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis with antiviral drugs can be used during an epidemic in:

Antiviral drugs do not weaken the development of the immune response caused by an inactivated vaccine. They can be canceled 2 weeks after vaccination. If vaccination cannot be given, antiviral drugs continue to be used throughout the epidemic.

Postexposure prophylactic antiviral drugs are usually indicated for people exposed to the potential for the virus when cases occur in a closed environment (for example, a nursing center, hospital ward). These medicines can also be given to family members or people at high risk for developing flu complications. The choice of drug depends on the pathogen resistance profile, but recently, oseltamivir is preferred (taken once a day, ).

Vaccination

It has been proven that the only method of specific influenza prophylaxis is vaccination. The introduction of a vaccine into the body cannot cause the disease, but by producing protective antibodies it stimulates the immune system to fight infection. The composition of modern vaccines is changed annually in accordance with the mutations of the virus to maximize coincidence with circulating strains and protects against three types of the virus simultaneously in 90% of cases. The effectiveness of the flu vaccine is incomparably higher than all non-specific medications that need to be taken for several months: immunostimulants, vitamins, homeopathic remedies.

Experts are sure that vaccines remain the first line of defense in the prevention of influenza.

Forecast

Most patients recover completely, although recovery often requires 1–2 weeks. However, influenza and influenza-associated pneumonia are important causes of morbidity or mortality among high-risk patients. The use of early antiviral treatment in these patients can reduce the likelihood of damage to the lower respiratory tract and reduce hospitalization. Appropriate antibacterial therapy reduces mortality caused by secondary bacterial pneumonia.

In general, the mortality rate is low (f<1%), but due to the high incidence, the total number of deaths can be significant. Based on the CDC assessment in the United States, annually > 700,000 hospital admissions and 50,000 fatal cases are due to seasonal flu; the highest percentages are observed in patients > 65 years of age. Worldwide, the number of deaths associated with the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 was estimated at up to 575,000 cases; > 80% of deaths occur in patients aged < 65 years.