Influenza World

What is flu? How is it different from the common cold? What should I do if I think that I have flu? The answers to these frequently asked questions – and others – are provided below and can help you separate flu fact from flu fiction.

1. What is flu?

Influenza – commonly called ‘flu’ – is a highly contagious disease and can be serious. It is caused by a virus that enters the body through the nose, mouth or lining of the eyelids, and attacks the respitatory tract – that is, the nose, sinuses, throat, lungs and middle ear. However, flu can also cause symptoms and complications in other parts of the body.

Usually, when you become sick with a virus your body builds up a defence system – or immunity – by making antibodies ensuring that you don’t get that particular virus again. However, flu viruses change – or mutate – each year, meaning that one flu infection will not protect you against illness in future years. This is the reason why flu jabs are given annually – to protect against that year’s virus.

You need to act immediately flu strikes to have the best chance of beating it. Flu FACTS help you to recognise the tell tale signs:

Flu FACTS

• Fever
• Aches
• Cough
• Tiredness
• Sudden symptoms

And if you think you have flu or are in doubt, visit your doctor as soon as possible.

2. Isn’t flu just a really bad cold?

No. Colds are caused by a different virus and are much less severe, and usually start gradually starting with a sore throat and a stuffy or runny nose.
Flu on the other hand is a much more serious illness. While most people can recover from a cold in two to three days, it can take up to two weeks for people to recover from flu. Flu symptoms hit you suddenly and severely and their effects can be debilitating.

You can quickly check your symptoms with the flu FACTS:

Flu FACTS

• Fever
• Aches
• Cough
• Tiredness
• Sudden symptoms

And if you think you have flu or are in doubt, visit your doctor as soon as possible.

3. I thought that flu was only a problem for older people

Anyone can get flu. Although it is more serious for the elderly, children and people with certain medical conditions, during a flu outbreak, everyone is at risk of catching the virus – regardless of age, gender or ethnic origin. Symptoms can be severe and, if it is left untreated, can keep you out of action – off school or work – for up to two weeks feeling very unwell.

4. Isn’t getting flu inevitable?

Flu is highly contagious and spreads easily, most commonly, through the air from person-to-person via droplets caused by coughing or sneezing. Annually, it affects up to 1 in 10 adults and one in three children. [1]

However, suffering from flu is not inevitable. Vaccination programmes are recommended for those particularly at risk of severe influenza – such as those people older than 65 or with chronic medical conditions. You can also help prevent the spread of flu by following these simple steps:

• cover your nose and mouth when you cough/sneeze and wash your hands often with soap
• avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too – stay at home from work, school and social gatherings
• if you have been in contact with someone who has flu you can discuss treatment options with your doctor. Antiviral medications can be taken not only to stop the flu in its tracks, but also to stop you even getting the flu if you’re concerned that you’ve been exposed.

If you do think that you have flu, make sure that you visit the doctor early (within 48 hours) as there are treatment options out there to help you get back on your feet.

5. If a member of my family gets flu, will I get it too?

Not necessarily. If your child or a member of your family gets flu there are treatments available, such as antiviral medications, that can stop it from spreading. If you can’t afford to be out of action for up to two weeks and are worried about catching flu, visit your doctor early as antivirals could help.

6. Should I really go to the doctor’s if I think that

I have flu?

Yes. Catching flu is a really unpleasant experience and can have an impact on your day-to-day activities. If you do happen to experience flu symptoms, visit your doctor early. Prescription medications, such as antiviral drugs, when used for treatment, will tackle the flu head-on to get you better quickly. Antivirals reduce flu’s severity, its duration and also decrease the risk of developing even riskier complications such as pneumonia.

7. Is there anything that the doctor can give me for flu that I can’t buy from the pharmacist?

OTC (over-the-counter) medication from your pharmacist can relieve flu symptoms which may make you feel better, but they won’t treat the infection. Prescription drugs – such as antiviral treatment – can target the virus itself and will help you get back on your feet again so that you can get on with your daily activities sooner.

Prescription antiviral treatment can significantly shorten the time you are sick and make you less contagious to others. The sooner you start treatment the better the effects will be, so it’s important to know the signs and not lose any time in visiting your doctor. There’s much more to treatment of the flu than simply staying home and keeping warm!

8. I have already had flu – can I get it again?

Yes. Each year there is a change in the strain of the flu virus and so, even if you have had flu before, you may not have immunity to the strain causing illness another year. Having had flu last year does not mean you are protected against this year’s strain. Usually, there is more than one strain of flu in circulation at any one time, so it is possible to get the flu more than once a year.

 

1. Nguyen-Van-Tam J. Epidemiology of influenza. In: Nicholson K, Webster RG, Hay A, eds. Textbook of influenza. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Science, 1998: 181–206.