How to prevent influenza? What if I get the flu? Experts come to help.
[Global Network Comprehensive Report] On January 17, a press conference was held at the National Health and Wellness Commission to introduce the health-related situation of seasonal solar terms. How to judge whether it is the flu or the common cold? Do I have to go to the hospital after I get the flu? Won’t you get the flu if you’ve been vaccinated against the flu? In response to these questions, the participating experts gave authoritative answers.
When cold symptoms appear, how to judge whether it is flu or common cold?
Li Dong, the chief physician of Beijing You ‘an Hospital, once said that when we have symptoms, we can initially analyze whether it is influenza or common cold from the epidemiological history and symptoms.
In the history of epidemiology, in the winter and spring when influenza is high, if you have high fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, fatigue and other symptoms after close contact with influenza cases, it is probably influenza. The common cold generally has no clear source of infection.
From the symptoms, the flu symptoms are more severe, and the onset is urgent, accompanied by systemic symptoms such as high fever, headache, muscle aches and special fatigue above 38.5℃. The common cold is usually low or moderate fever, or even no fever. The symptoms are mainly nasal congestion, runny nose and sneezing, which are relatively mild.
Do I have to go to the hospital after I get the flu?
Li Dong once said that for flu patients, those with mild symptoms can be isolated at home, and antipyretic and analgesic drugs and expectorant and antitussive drugs can generally recover in about 7 days. If you have high fever above 39℃ and the antipyretic drugs are not effective during home isolation, or you have severe symptoms such as severe cough, shortness of breath, chest tightness and breath-holding, as well as severe headache, frequent vomiting, confusion, etc., or the symptoms have not eased for more than 5 days, it is recommended to seek medical advice in time.
What are the precautions for home rehabilitation?
Li Dong once said that adequate rest is conducive to recovery. It is not recommended to go to work, go to school, visit relatives and friends or attend parties when sick, and avoid receiving visiting relatives and friends during illness to reduce the risk of infection. When resting at home, those who can afford it should stay in a separate room, those who can’t should try to keep their distance from their families, open more windows for ventilation, and wear masks when contacting their families. Cover your nose and mouth with paper towels or elbows when sneezing or coughing. Throw the used paper towels into the covered trash can immediately and wash your hands in time.
Li Dong once reminded that the elderly, pregnant women, children, immunocompromised people and moderately obese people are high-risk people with severe influenza. Once they get the flu, it is recommended to treat them as soon as possible under the guidance of a doctor. During the period of rest and isolation at home, we should pay attention to rational drug use and avoid abusing antibiotics, because antibiotics are ineffective against virus infection.
How to effectively prevent influenza?
Wang Dayan, a researcher at the Institute of Viral Disease Prevention and Control of China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the most effective and economical way to prevent influenza is to vaccinate against influenza, which can significantly reduce the risk of morbidity and serious complications. Although vaccination is recommended before the influenza epidemic season, as long as individuals are not infected, vaccination can prevent influenza, alleviate symptoms, shorten the course of disease, and significantly reduce the risk of developing into severe illness and death.
"However, getting the flu vaccine doesn’t mean that you won’t get the flu at all." Wang Dayan said that the flu vaccine only targets the flu virus and has no protective effect on other pathogens of acute respiratory infections. After vaccination, it usually takes some time to produce enough antibodies to achieve the protective effect, so even after vaccination, protective measures still need to be taken.
In addition, Wang Dayan reminded that after the recovery of acute respiratory infections such as influenza and pneumonia, influenza vaccination can prevent influenza and other types of influenza. During the epidemic season, people who have not been vaccinated in time, especially the elderly, infants, patients with chronic diseases and their families living together, should be vaccinated as soon as possible, and early vaccination will benefit early.
Won’t you get the flu if you’ve been vaccinated against the flu?
Li Dong once said that people who are still infected with influenza virus after being vaccinated do, but compared with those who have not been vaccinated, the risk of being infected with influenza virus is significantly reduced, and the symptoms of influenza after infection are relatively mild and the risk of severe illness is lower. For example, there can be no high fever, only low fever or no fever, and the cough lasts for a short time, so you can recover faster.
Li Dong once suggested that those who have not been vaccinated against influenza this year and have not been infected with influenza yet should be vaccinated as soon as possible. People who have been infected with influenza virus can have some immunity to the subtype of influenza virus infected this time, and it is very unlikely that they will be infected with the same subtype again in a short period of time, but there is no protection for other influenza strains. At present, more than 99% of the influenza strains prevalent in China are H1N1 subtype of influenza A, which can be protected after infection, but influenza vaccines are usually trivalent or tetravalent vaccines. If you vaccinate after infection, you can also obtain the protection of influenza A H3N2 strain and influenza B strain. So even if you have had the flu once, you can gain resistance to the other two strains after vaccination.
How to use drugs scientifically for influenza patients?
Recently, mabaloxavir and oseltamivir, two influenza drugs, have attracted more attention on the Internet. Li Dong once said that at present, only mabaloxavir is approved for the treatment of influenza in China, but it has not been approved for post-exposure prevention. Pay attention to the following points when using mabaloxavir to treat influenza:
Use as soon as possible: antiviral drugs should be used as soon as possible, and mabaloxavir suggests using them within 48 hours of onset to achieve the best effect.
Applicable people: Mabaloxavir is currently only approved for antiviral treatment for people aged 5 years and above. Oseltamivir should be used in the treatment of influenza in children under 5 years old. For pregnant women and lactating women, it is suggested to choose oseltamivir for antiviral treatment because of the lack of data on the use of mabaloxavir.
Drug interaction: Mabaloxavir may interact with other drugs when used together. If you need to use this drug, be sure to inform your doctor about other drugs you are using (including over-the-counter drugs and health care products) to avoid potential drug interactions.
Pay attention to allergic reaction: If you have allergic symptoms such as rash, itching, dyspnea or other serious discomfort during the use of mabaloxavir, you should stop taking the drug immediately and seek medical attention.
Li Dong once reminded that one or two "star drugs" should not be relied too much when treating influenza. Scientific use of symptomatic drugs and adequate rest are conducive to faster recovery.
How do the elderly cope with the flu challenge?
Li Jing, the chief physician of Beijing Hospital, said that the physical resistance of the elderly is weaker than that of the young people, and the flu symptoms may be more serious, such as a long duration of fever, which may easily lead to complications such as pneumonia and respiratory failure, and the recovery rate of the disease is slow. Daily protection is very important. Influenza is a respiratory infectious disease. Older people should wear masks when going out, and try to avoid shopping malls, markets and other crowded places with poor air circulation. At the same time, we should pay attention to increasing or decreasing clothes according to the weather changes to keep warm and cold. Always ventilate at home to keep the air fresh.
Li Jing said that if the elderly are infected with flu and have mild symptoms (such as sore throat, cough, runny nose, etc.), they can rest at home first, drink more water, eat light food, keep their stools unobstructed, and use drugs appropriately to relieve symptoms. However, once there are serious symptoms such as persistent high fever, a lot of thick sputum, dyspnea and listlessness, you should go to the hospital immediately to avoid delaying your illness. When taking care of the elderly with influenza, family members should also pay attention to avoid cross-infection. Besides washing your hands frequently, you should try to wear a mask when you are in contact with the elderly.