YOUR HEALTH
with Dr. Thakkar
INFLUENZA
The summer is drawing to a close and GP practices are planning for winter
and the flu vaccination campaign. So why is it that the NHS is so concerned
about flu? Viral infections are often trivialised but for those who have
suffered the flu, and that’s me included, the flu can knock even the fittest of
people for six. Infact flu is so devastating that it caused in excess of 16,000
deaths last winter in the UK.
There are three types of influenza virus,
all of which can rapidly spread throughout
communities. Type A is the most
aggressive of which there are several
subtypes dependent on the proteins on
the surface of the virus.
Flu can manifest in a number of
ways including fever, severe malaise,
muscle aches, headache and cough.
Complications of flu include dehydration,
ear infections, pneumonia, heart failure,
seizures, meningitis and even death.
Patients most vulnerable to these
complications are the very young,
pregnant women and the elderly, and
those with existing chronic diseases
such as asthma, COPD, heart disease,
neurological diseases and diabetes.
Patients with poorly functioning immune
systems are also at risk.
Influenza is generally spread through
the respiratory system such as through
coughing and sneezing, and hand to
mouth transmission. It can even be spread
by people harbouring the virus without
symptoms and can take up to 5 days to
develop flu once infected.
Drop in sessions
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dates
Treatment of simple flu is supportive, that
is, rest at home, plenty of fluids and over
the counter remedies available from the
chemist. Every effort should be made by
patients to avoid spreading the v