Influenza ...

Influenza ...

Influenza ...

Influenza has a number of unique features that include:

1-Seasonal Seasonality: The influenza
virus causes influenza in winter in the northern hemisphere, in summer in the southern hemisphere and in rainy seasons in the tropics.
2-The ability to change: Influenza virus changes, at a high rate, the structure of the proteins on its surface, so that it deceives the immune system, which produced antibodies against the previous version of it. Thus, influenza can infect the same person more than once.
 3-The spread of the disease on a large scale: When the flu is spread it affects a very large number of children and adults (about one third of children and 10% of adults), resulting in frequent absences from work and school, and creates great pressure on hospitals and clinics.
Incubation period is shorter than (1-4 days). After the incubation period, the following symptoms appear: headache, chills, cough, and later: elevated temperature, mucus and muscle aches. The high temperature lasts between 3-6 days, but coughing with sputum can last up to two weeks. An infected person can transmit the infection for a period of one to two days before the fever rises up to 5 days after rising.

Signs of influenza illness and symptoms that accompany it cause distress and discomfort, but disappear  on their own after a few days. However, the problem of influenza is mainly related to its potential complications, which include: pneumonia , bronchitis , ear infections and complications in the nervous system.

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

Common symptoms of influenza include:

Symptoms of flu-flu Influenza disease appears, In its beginnings, colds, nasal congestion, sneezing and sore throat. But colds usually develop slowly, while the flu virus suddenly appears. While colds can be just a transient disturbance, flu is a very bad public feeling.

• Body temperature above 38 degrees in adults and between 39.5 - 40 degrees in children and boys
• Chills and sweating
• a headache
• dry cough
• Muscle pain, especially in the back, arms and legs
• Feeling general weakness and fatigue
• Clogged nose
• Anorexia
• Diarrhea and vomiting in children

Causes and risk factors of influenza-flu

Influenza viruses circulate in the air in very small droplets, from coughing, sneezing or even talking to someone who is sick with flu. These droplets can be inhaled directly from the air, or can be touched by a purpose, such as a telephone device, a computer keyboard, the computer itself or others, and then transferred to the eyes, nose or mouth.
Influenza is divided into three groups of viruses: A, B and C:
Influenza A - can be the leading cause of deadly outbreaks on a global scale, hitting every 10 to 40 years.
Influenza B - causes a more moderate and limited outbreak. Influenza A and B influenza viruses can be, together or separately, the cause of the spread of influenza that appears every winter. However, no correlation was found between the C-type influenza virus and the influenza pandemic.
Influenza C is a relatively stable virus, while viruses of A and B are constantly changing, with new varieties emerging.

The body produces antibodies against the type of flu that has been infected, but these antibodies do not prevent the infection of influenza virus of another kind. Therefore, doctors recommend vaccination against influenza, annually.

The most vulnerable groups are:

• Infants and young children
• Persons over the age of 50 years
• Persons living in shelters for the elderly or in long-term care homes
• People with chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, kidneys, or lungs
• People who suffer from impaired immune system, due to taking medications or because of HIV
• Pregnant women during the flu season
• Workers in medical and therapeutic institutions or elsewhere likely to be exposed to the influenza virus
• People who are in close and constant contact with infants or children
• Children who have long-term treatment with aspirin may be more susceptible to the flu virus.

Influenza complications

If you are healthy in general, flu will not be a serious risk to your health. Although you are likely to feel very upset , influenza usually disappears without long-term effects.
 But children and the elderly, who are at relatively high risk, may suffer complications, such as:

•  Ear infections
• Acute sinus infections
• Bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• Meningitis

Among these complications, Pneumococci, a serious bacterial infection in the lungs, is the most common and dangerous complication, to the extent that it may be fatal for the elderly and chronically ill. Therefore, vaccination against pneumonia and influenza virus provides optimal protection.

Treatment of flu

Flu is treated with drugs to relieve symptoms, such as: medicines to reduce body temperature and to reduce nasal mucus and cough. Recently, two drugs have been introduced into the market to curb the spread of the influenza virus in the body. These drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, are effective only if taken in the first two days of influenza, or as a post-exposure protection.

The drugs used to treat Influenza A and B viruses work by neutralizing the enzyme needed by the virus so that it can grow and spread. If the medication is taken immediately after the onset of the first symptoms of influenza, this will 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. It can also lead to the development of antiviral-resistant viruses.
In November 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called on Tamiflu to add a warning label for patients with influenza, especially children, to the risk of self-confounding and tampering with Tamiflu.

The US Food and Drug Administration advises people with influenza who take tamiflu to stay under constant surveillance to detect signs of unusual behavior. In any case, it is recommended that you consult your doctor always before starting any medication, in general, or antiviral medicine in particular.

Prevention of Influenza

The best way to treat the damage and complications of influenza is to prevent disease. However, influenza can not be prevented by a one-time vaccination, but vaccine should be obtained annually to suit new types of influenza viruses.
It is important to vaccinate people at risk before the winter (in September-October). It is also recommended to vaccinate both: healthy adults over the age of 50 years, women who are expected to enter the second or third trimester of pregnancy during the influenza season, and health workers. There is no objection. On the contrary, immunization should be encouraged for children and people not belonging to the most vulnerable groups, especially young children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, as they may also be exposed to influenza complications.

There are two types of vaccines: the killed virus vaccine, which contains the same influenza virus, the most widely accepted vaccine today, and the live attenuated virus that contains the virus itself is alive, A vaccine is in the process of final certification and licensing, and its advantage is that it is given as a nasal spray to avoid the narrowness of the injection.

Vaccine efficacy: vaccine efficacy is very high (70% - 100%), and there is a correlation between vaccine varieties and disease varieties in the season.
(40% -60%) in the absence of such a match, or when vaccination is given to the elderly and infants, although efficacy against complications of the disease remains high, even in these cases.

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