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The facts about Influenza
What Is Flu? (Influenza)
Influenza is a lot more than a bad cold. It is a distinct illness caused by a virus and is very contagious. The influenza virus spreads through the air from a cough or a sneeze and you simply breathe it in. The person you catch it from may even seem well at the time. And you can pass it on before you realise you have influenza. So to protect yourself and patients, be immunised every year well before the influenza season starts.
How Serious Is It?
Influenza affects people differently but it should always be handled with care. The symptoms are like a severe cold with added muscle aches, fever and weakness. A normally strong and healthy adult or child will be over it in a week. However patients at high risk are prone to complications from influenza and then it can lead on to pneumonia, to prolonged hospitalisation and may threaten their life.
Why Should I Be Immunised?
Influenza affects your capacity to work and to care for patients, as well as your families. Staff who are clinically or subclinically infected can transmit the influenza virus to others especially patients at high risk.
High risk patients/staff include:
- Those with diabetes, heart or lung conditions, kidney or liver disease.
- Those with a suppressed immune system.
Patients at high risk can have a low antibody response to influenza vaccines.
You can protect these members of high risk groups against influenza by reducing the likelihood of influenza exposure from yourself.
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How Can I Protect Myself and Patients?
A new vaccine is ready now to prevent the influenza viruses expected to cause illness this year. Even if you take medications for high blood pressure, diabetes or other conditions, the vaccine is very safe.
Can I Get Flu from The Vaccine?
The vaccine is safe and effective. It cannot give you a 'dose' of the flu because it contains no live organisms. A slightly sore arm or mild fever, tiredness or muscle aches could occur, but they soon pass.
If you have an acute illness, delay being immunised. Also if you are allergic to eggs and egg products you need to discuss this with your doctor.
Should I Wait Until Winter?
No, it is now time to be immunised.
Timing is important and the early months of autumn, between March and May are ideal. If you have missed that period, immunisation is still worthwhile. The vaccine takes effect in about two weeks and then protects you right through the influenza season.
Do I Need a Flu Shot Every Year?
Yes. You need the flu vaccine yearly because it is adjusted each year to protect you from the current strains of influenza.
Medical Overview
Influenza
Influenza ('flu') is a lot more than just a bad cold. It's one of the greatest epidemic diseases of all time. It causes widespread sporadic illness every year, with epidemics (increased incidence in a given population) approximately every three years. The severity of an epidemic depends on the nature of the virus and the level of immunity in the population. Pandemics (world wide epidemics) involving a high proportion of people in a geographical region occur about every 10 years. Pandemics have been clinically observed since 1889 and can result in very large numbers of deaths.
Transmission
Influenza is highly contagious and spreads through airborne droplets by the respiratory route (for example, through coughing and sneezing).
Incubation
There is an incubation period of between 1 to 4 days between 'catching' the influenza virus and the onset of the illness. The person feels well at this stage but the virus is multiplying in the nose, throat and is also circulating around the body in the blood stream.
Symptoms
- Chills
- Sweating
- High Fever (up to or above 39°C)
- Weakness
- Generalised muscle aches and joint pains (back and legs)
- Non-productive cough at first, later it becomes more severe and productive
- Headache
Recovery
Severe symptoms usually subside after 2-3 days but the illness lasts 7-10 days and sometimes longer.
Complications
These only occur in a small proportion of cases but are important because of their seriousness when they do. Pneumonia is the main complication which can occur in anybody but it is more likely if the person has an underlying medical condition, particularly chronic lung or heart disease or if they have suppressed immunity.
Other Complications
These are rare. Other complications occur less frequently and include inflammation of the substance of the brain (encephalitis) and inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) which both can occur during convalescence. As with primary influenza pneumonia, these occur most frequently following a new pandemic of influenza A.
In addition to the complications due to influenza itself, influenza can lead to increased morbidity and mortality due to the aggravation of a patient's underlying medical conditions.
Influenza Versus the Common Cold
How many times each winter do you hear people say they have the flu when in fact they have a cold? It has been estimated that young children have about 10 colds a year and adults 2 or 3. So someone who talks about their third dose of the 'flu' in two months is probably suffering from repeated common colds.