Hunan **Quan** reporter Li Chuanxin correspondent Yang Zhengqiang Chen Siyu.
Recently, the official website of the National Influenza Center of China released the weekly report on influenza surveillance for the 7th week of 2024, and it can be seen from the monitoring data that the national influenza epidemic is still at a high level, and type B (type B) is the mainstay, accounting for 81 of the positive numbers7%。When the resumption of work and the start of school encounter influenza, how should all kinds of people actively prevent and effectively **? How are early symptoms of the flu recognized?
On February 28, Li Shenglu, deputy director and chief physician of the General Outpatient Department of Hunan Chest Hospital, said in an interview with reporters that winter and spring are the seasons of high incidence of respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza A, influenza B, new coronavirus infection, respiratory syncytial virus, mycoplasma, etc., and the immunity established after infection by these pathogens is not durable, especially the elderly, children, pregnant women, people with underlying diseases or obesity and other high-risk groups can be repeatedly infected, and infection with different pathogens may aggravate the condition, resulting in damage to the mucosal barrier of the upper respiratory tract. Triggering bacterial infections, etc.
Here are 5 things to keep in mind to reduce your risk of infection during the flu season.
Influenza is an acute respiratory disease caused by influenza A virus and influenza B virus, which seriously endangers the health of the population. Influenza viruses are antigenically volatile and spread rapidly, causing seasonal epidemics.
Don't confuse the flu with the common cold. Li Shenglu said that influenza viruses are mainly divided into four types: A, B, C, and D. Compared with the common cold, influenza viruses are more contagious, and the population is generally susceptible, and influenza patients have a higher body temperature when they have a fever, a longer duration of illness, and more severe systemic symptoms. In severe cases, severe complications such as severe pneumonia, fulminant myocarditis, necrotizing encephalitis, kidney failure, respiratory failure, and even death may occur. When high-risk people are infected with influenza viruses, the health hazards are more serious and the risk of severe disease is also higher.
Lee stressed that everyone is the first person responsible for their own health, so it is important for everyone to understand the means to reduce the risk of influenza virus infection and take active and effective preventive measures.
1. Regular influenza vaccination is the most effective means to prevent influenza;
2. Maintain good hygiene habits and lifestyle, wear masks in public, wash hands frequently, cover your mouth and nose with tissues, towels or elbows when coughing or sneezing, and try to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with your hands to avoid droplet transmission;
3. Pay attention to nutritional balance, maintain adequate sleep and rest, appropriate physical exercise, in winter and spring and other influenza epidemic seasons, it is recommended to minimize gatherings, avoid going to crowded places, try to avoid contact with influenza patients, such as close contact with influenza patients, oral anti-influenza virus drugs can be taken within 48 hours of contact, which can effectively prevent the occurrence of influenza;
4. Strengthen self-health monitoring, if you have fever, cough and other symptoms, you should rest at home, and if the symptoms are severe, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible;
5. When family members have flu-like symptoms, it is recommended that high-risk groups reduce close contact with them as much as possible and pay attention to personal protection.
Influenza self-help "**48 hours", don't miss it.
Influenza is mostly a self-limiting disease, and it is generally mainly symptomatic to reduce symptoms, but a small number of patients can develop pneumonia and other diseases, and even accelerate the progression to severe disease. Li Shenglu said that after infection, the severity of the disease is closely related to the viral load, so it is necessary to seek medical attention as soon as possible, carry out the corresponding drugs**, and the antiviral** in principle, the sooner the better, as far as possible within 48 hours.
1. Identification of early symptoms of influenza. Influenza is different from colds, which generally have mild systemic symptoms, mostly manifested as upper respiratory tract symptoms (nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat and cough, etc.), fever is generally rare, and the course of the disease is mostly 3-5 days; Influenza, on the other hand, has severe systemic symptoms, often manifested as a sudden onset of high fever (body temperature greater than 39 degrees), accompanied by muscle aches, sore throat and headache, fatigue and fatigue. Some patients also have gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc.), which are more common in influenza B.
2. Diagnosis of influenza. It is not easy to distinguish between the symptoms of influenza and new crown infection in the early stage, so once there is fever or obvious systemic symptoms, it is recommended to carry out etiological testing as soon as possible.
Of course, a negative influenza antigen does not rule out influenza, and some patients also need to be identified by testing for influenza nucleic acid in nasopharyngeal swabs or sputum. Comparatively speaking, the sensitivity and specificity of influenza nucleic acid detection will be higher.
3. Influenza **. Once the flu is diagnosed, follow your doctor's instructions for active conduct**. If you have the flu, you need to rest more, drink more water, avoid strenuous exercise, and seek medical attention in time if you have a high fever that does not go away, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and palpitation.
Questions and answers about the flu may wish you to learn more.
1. Will influenza A and influenza B be superinfected?
Influenza viruses are divided into four types: A, B, C, and D. Influenza A (A) viruses (H1N1, H3N2 subtypes, etc.) and B (B) influenza viruses can cause seasonal epidemics every year, and the specific identification is through antigen testing or nucleic acid testing. Influenza A and influenza B will occur at the same time, but the probability is extremely low, and there may be cases of successive infections. Because influenza A virus and influenza B virus infection do not have cross-protection, they do not have protection against each other.
2. When is it more accurate to use a flu kit for test results?
At the beginning of the illness, the viral load in the body is not high, and it is recommended to test for fever at least 18 hours later, and the best time is after 24 hours. The detection method of the flu kit is also very important, when the nasal swab is tested, the cotton swab should be placed deep enough, and if it can be turned, it should be turned as much as possible, and if you don't want to turn it, let the cotton swab be in it for at least 10 seconds to stimulate the production of nasal secretions. When testing in the hospital, parents must hold the child's head to avoid failing the test due to evasion.
3. Can children with respiratory tract infections take antibiotics such as cephalosporin?
Most of the respiratory tract infections in children are caused by viruses, accounting for 80%-90%, parents should remember that common antibiotics such as cephalosporins, penicillins, azithromycin, clarithromycin and other commonly used antibiotics in children cannot ** the vast majority of children's respiratory tract infections.
4. **High fever and headache, can I take anti-influenza drugs?
Viral infections that can cause systemic symptoms including high fever, headache, muscle aches, and other symptoms, as well as novel coronavirus infections in addition to influenza. If you have recently been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with influenza, the probability of getting influenza yourself is relatively high, and taking anti-influenza drugs will be effective. If there is no history of exposure to influenza patients, the causative agent should be identified before taking medication. If it's the new crown, it's definitely useless to take flu antivirals.
5. After a child gets the flu, how to choose the right time to return to school?
According to the relevant regulations of the disease control department on the control of infectious diseases, for influenza, the school requires at least 48 hours after the fever has subsided, and there is a certificate of antigen negative from the hospital before returning to school. Because some people are still contagious 48 hours after the fever has subsided, it may not be good for the surrounding classmates. When it is almost good, it is definitely not a "poison king", and even if it is infectious, it is greatly reduced.
6. Can I get the flu vaccine to prevent the flu immediately? It takes about 2-4 weeks for the flu vaccine to produce sufficient levels of antibody protection, so it is encouraged to get the flu vaccine as early as possible before the flu epidemic. It can also reduce the severity of influenza if you are already in the incubation period of the disease at the time of vaccination, or if you are infected with the flu before you have time to produce antibody protection after vaccination. If there are children at home with mild symptoms, they should avoid crowded environments, and it is recommended that they first go to nearby community medical and health institutions for treatment; Large hospitals are densely populated and have long waiting times, so the risk of cross-infection is high.