Influenza Information
Influenza, the name itself scares most. However, if you are well prepared for it, you might not have to face dire consequences; find out more about influenza and its treatment.
Influenza – The most Dreaded Infectious Disease
If you want to know about the highly contagious disease influenza, want to know how it is caused, and how to treat it effectively, read on. This page can help you get basic information that you may need at the time of an influenza outbreak.
What Is Influenza?
Influenza is an infection caused by a virus of the respiratory tract. Influenza is a very contagious infection and can easily break into a pandemic. You may catch this infection from an infected person who is travelling with you or is working with you or from an infected family member. Influenza virus may infect others around even if the infected person has no illness symptoms. Influenza viruses can enter the body through the mucous membranes in the mouth, eyes, or nose.
Influenza is also known as ‘Flu’ and crops up mostly in winter between October and March. The symptoms of influenza are as follows:
- Fever – usually continuous and may be lower in older adults than in children and young people
- Muscle pain and body aches – often severe, usually in the arms, back and legs
- Headache – severe pain
- Loss of appetite – mainly due to a feeling of illness or fatigue
- Dry cough, sore throat or runny nose – more visible when the fever goes away
Other symptoms are usually more severe, when fever is high. Symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhoea are not related to influenza as opposed to what most people believe.
Causes For Influenza
Influenza is caused by flu viruses. There are mainly three types of flu viruses – type A, type B and type C. The viruses change or mutate constantly and different strains emerge that circulate around the world every year. Type A and B are the most severe strains of viruses. Of the three viruses, type C either causes very mild illness, or has no symptoms at all. It does not cause epidemics and does not have the severe public health impact like influenza types A and B.
Influenza viruses are well known to mutate over time, therefore, new vaccines have to be developed constantly. Old vaccines may not help against a new form of virus.
Influenza viruses spread from one person to another through cough or sneeze droplets. Influenza can also be transmitted by indirect contact with a contaminated object or surface and then with your own mouth, eyes, or nose before washing your hands.
Treatment Available For Influenza
There are certain treatments available for influenza. They are called antiviral medicines. These treatments do not have the ability to cure the virus but can reduce the severity and symptoms of influenza by stopping the spreading of the influenza viruses. Some effective treatments can reduce the duration of the illness caused by influenza and improve health speedily.
Consult a doctor within two days of seeing signs and symptoms of influenza. You can also get a prescription treatment called Tamiflu for influenza. This treatment is used for prevention as well as treatment of influenza and has shown promising results in clinical trials. Tamiflu also eases flu symptoms and gives relief from the disease.
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) as the best influenza treatment
Tamiflu is a unique medication and helps in treatment as well as prevention of influenza. It is also recommended by World Health Organization in case of influenza pandemic and bird flu outbreak. Tamiflu is a safe and effective drug; however, it would be misleading to say that it is the best influenza treatment. Different people react differently to medications and hence you might find Tamiflu good but someone else might not. It is best to follow a doctor’s instructions in any case.