Influenza is a viral disease transmitted by airborne droplets, affecting the respiratory system, which is part of the ARVI group that causes severe complications, such as pneumonia, hearing loss, vision, death.
In addition to the well-known, annually new viruses with modified RNA appear that cause the flu. Types of influenza A, B, C. Epidemic outbreaks occur annually.
The group C virus is considered to be the least dangerous, since it does not cause epidemics, confining itself only to respiratory diseases without coughing and fever.
The virus of group A includes the following strains: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2. The previously unknown most dangerous strain of influenza A / H1N1, or swine flu, without timely, adequate treatment can lead to death.
The constant change or mutation of the virus allows it to easily evade the immunity of the carrier (humans, birds, artiodactyls). While a previously infected carrier is susceptible to influenza throughout life, that is, the host organism produces antibodies against the virus that caused the flu. The types of flu that attacked a person or an animal will no longer be perceived by the immune system and will affect the body again, and until the antibody is developed, the disease will go in full swing.
Most people have innate immunity, but you can also resort to vaccination.
Every year, more than 25 percent of the world's population develops seasonal flu; the number of deaths associated with this disease ranges from 3,500 to 50,000 (an average of 38,900 per year).
Seasonal flu annually affects people from early September to late May, while the weather is unstable and damp.
Symptoms of Seasonal Flu
Often a person can not always immediately distinguish between seasonal flu and a cold, as their symptoms are quite similar: sputum production, thick discharge, nasal congestion, headache, weakness, heaviness in muscles and joints, fever. Although in most cases the disease goes away within seven days without any medical help, it is still very dangerous to treat the disease on your own, without the participation of specialists, in some cases it is fraught with complications.
Flu complications can occur in:
- bacterial pneumonia;
- sinusitis, deafness, infectious diseases of the inner ear;
- dehydration of the body;
- inflammation of the heart muscle.
There is a certain group of people for whom any flu virus can be very dangerous:
- older men from the age of sixty two years;
- women sixty-seven years of age or older;
- babies and preschoolers.
Seasonal influenza treatment is recommended with drugs such as Teraflu, Codelac, Panadol, Doctor Mom.
Prevention measures that are most effective against a viral disease: wearing an antiviral dressing, timely vaccination, the use of an antiseptic to disinfect hands, taking vitamins, and eating fruits and vegetables.
Avian influenza in humans
Signs of H5N1 flu are similar to the initial symptoms of a seasonal virus: fever, cough, muscle soreness. Moreover, the developed complications in the form of pneumonia or breathing problems result in death in 70-85% of cases. The severity of the disease depends on the patient’s immunity or vaccination and on how dangerous this flu strain is for a single organism.
The largest number of infected H5N1 recorded in Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, Canada. Currently, there are no cases recorded by medicine when the carrier of the H5N1 virus was a person, however, bird flu continues to be a disease that can be fatal.
Prevention of a dangerous disease
There is no reliable data on the transmission of avian influenza virus from person to person, however, cases are known where infection occurred through direct contact with an infected bird or through surfaces contaminated with fecal masses of hawkers.
Infection from meat or eggs is not possible, since heat treatment kills the virus.
To protect yourself from the virus, you must:
- You can eat only eggs and meat after thorough heat treatment for thirty minutes at 60-65 degrees;
- Wash hands with soap for at least twenty seconds, use an antiseptic in situations where full washing is not possible.
- Cook poultry meat on a separate cutting board and in a separate bowl.
- Exclude from your diet raw eggs and eggs with half-baked (liquid) yolk.
- Avoid contact with an infected person, if contact was unavoidable, you should measure the temperature for three days at least twice a day, and monitor the onset of symptoms for a week.
- During a pandemic and when communicating with a patient, it is recommended to wear a mask, changing it every three hours.
- Eat fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C.
Remember! Annual vaccination against seasonal flu does not contribute to the development of immunity against bird flu.
Effective drugs for the treatment of H5N1 virus
When early symptoms of bird flu are detected, patients are prescribed broad-spectrum inhibitors, such as neuraminidases.
Typically, medications used drugs: "Osiltamivir", "Zanimivir", "Relinza". If the temperature rises to 38 degrees, it is recommended to use antipyretic drugs, for example, paracetamol. With a complication of the disease and suspected pneumonia, antibiotics are prescribed.
In some cases, the use of "Antigippin", "Analgin", "Aspirin" can lead to serious consequences, for example, deafness.
H1N1 or the new flu known as swine
The first cases of swine flu infection were recorded in the United Kingdom (England) in 2009, within a few months the virus spread to two hundred countries, across all continents.
As a rule, the symptoms of all viral infections are very similar, and swine flu is no exception. Types of influenza, such as A and C, manifest the same symptoms as H1N1, but unlike it, they are not so painful and do not cause complications in the form of pulmonary pneumonia.
Symptoms of the H1N1 virus
Those infected have a fever up to 38-40 degrees, pathological migraines, nasal congestion in combination with a runny nose, throat edema, fatigue, dry cough and shortness of breath, heaviness in the muscles and joints, signs of poisoning.
The course of the disease depends on the state of health and the immune system of an individual, however, according to the data, all patients with H1N1 flu started treatment in the first seven days of the disease, so the treatment was successful and without complications.
Risk group
In case of virus infection, the risk group includes:
- women in 1-3 trimester of pregnancy;
- older people over the age of sixty;
- infants and children up to seven years old;
- people suffering from chronic diseases: pneumonia, pyelonephritis, diabetes mellitus, congenital heart disease, cholecystitis, seasonal asthma.
If symptoms of H1N1 are detected, you should consult a doctor, if it is not possible to call an ambulance, you can start treatment with the use of antiviral drugs: Temiflu, Relins, Zanomivir, in order to enhance the effect, the loading dose should be taken in the first forty-eight hours.
Swine flu in children is mainly treated with Temiflu and Relins, but they should be used with extreme caution, since side effects, such as heaviness in the abdomen, migraine, and signs of acute poisoning, are likely to occur.
New flu can be stopped by timely vaccination, it is especially important to vaccinate people at risk.
You can avoid infection if you do not neglect the following measures:
- use a disposable napkin for coughing and sneezing;
- observe hygiene of hands and face;
- ventilate the room, maintain the cleanliness of household items;
- use a protective dressing;
- conduct timely vaccination.
Swine flu in children is usually epidemic.
The bloodiest flu virus ever
“Spaniard”, or Spanish flu, is a virus that has claimed a colossal number of lives in the entire history of mankind. From history it is known that in 1920-1921 (over 20 months) more than 600 million people were infected, i.e. 30 percent of the world's population. In terms of the number of deaths, this epidemic is one of the largest disasters in the history of mankind. The virus causing such dangerous epidemics is A / 1H1N1.
Signs of the disease:
- Gray-blue complexion.
- Cyanosis.
- Infectious pneumonia.
- Coughing up blood.
- More severe stages are accompanied by the presence of blood in the lungs, which subsequently leads to death from suffocation.
The disease may be asymptomatic, but in this case the patient dies after a few days.
The Spanish flu got its name because of the place in which the pandemic was first recorded - Spain.
Stomach flu
Types of influenza, such as rotavirus infection or gastroenteritis, are not, in fact, considered influenza because the causative agent of the disease is calicivirus, which leads to inflammation of the human gastrointestinal tract. Basically, this disease affects children under the age of seven years, and in rare cases, adults. At the same time, intestinal flu in adults with a strong immune system can occur in a latent form, a full recovery in this case occurs within a week.
Usually the virus enters the body if personal hygiene is not observed. The popular name for stomach flu is “dirty hands disease”.
Symptoms and treatment of stomach flu
A few hours before the appearance of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, a cough with sputum appears, signs of a sore throat, runny nose, which disappear after a few days.
When the first signs of the disease appear, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe medicinal enzymes to improve the digestive tract, such as Activated Carbon, Filtrum, Smecta, Polysorb.
Flu quarantine
Quarantine is a measure aimed at preventing viral diseases. The quarantine period, depending on the severity of the disease and the number of infected people, is on average one week.
Most often, influenza quarantine is declared at school or kindergarten, this is due to the fact that the child’s immune system is not yet formed, and the body cannot resist infection.
Quarantine is declared if more than twenty percent of the children are absent from the educational institution.
Before the expected epidemic, it is necessary to vaccinate adults and children (with parental permission), ventilate the premises, disinfect work surfaces, and avoid crowds. It is important to remember that preventive vaccinations and the Mantoux test are prohibited during the period of quarantine for influenza or SARS.
Flu Prevention
Doctors recommend as a preventive measure to strengthen your body and immunity throughout the year with the help of hardening, physical education, proper nutrition and intake of vitamins and minerals. The most effective way is flu vaccination two to three months before the expected epidemic. In addition, in public places it is necessary to wear protective masks, changing them every three hours.