Influenza

What is influenza?

Influenza is a disease which involves respiratory problems caused by the influenza viruses.Commonly in short form, influenza is also called 'flu'.Flu can cause mild as well as severe illness and sometimes conditions become so fatal that death occurs.Flu vaccination is one of the best way to keep away from flu illness and it should be done yearly.Young people, old agers, and unhealthy people are more likely at a risk for serious flu conditions.



Symptoms of Flu

symptoms of flu includes:

1. Runny nose
2. Dry Cough
3. Fever
4. Sore Throat
5.Tiredness
6.Headaches
7.Stomach problems such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting

Also severe symptoms of flu include: Bacterial pneumonia, Dehydration, different Infections and triggering of chronic diseases such as Diabetes, Heart attack or Asthama.


Spreading of Flu

Mostly flu viruses are distributed from one person to another through coughing or sneezing around each others.Sometimes touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching mouth, nose or eating with those hands also causes flu.A flu infected person is most likely to spread disease from him/her to someone else.


Prevention of seasonal flu

Vaccination is a best way for preventing seasonal flu.There are two types of vaccines:

The flu shot: This is an inactivate vaccine which is injected into the body.This is suitable for people over 6 months.

The nasal-spray flu vaccine: a vaccine made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause the flu (sometimes called LAIV for “Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine”). LAIV is approved for use in healthy people 2-49 years of age.

Who Should Not Be Vaccinated

There are some people who should not be vaccinated without first consulting a physician. These include:

• People who have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
• People who have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination.
• People who developed Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine.
• Children less than 6 months of age
  
• People who have a severe illness with a fever

Vaccine effectiveness
The ability of flu vaccine to protect a person depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine, and the similarity between the virus strains in the vaccine and those in circulation. Testing has shown that both the flu shot and the nasal-spray vaccine are effective at preventing the flu.