Winter is the flu season here in New Zealand, and recent spike in cases of winter illnesses, has resulted in patients flooding hospital emergency departments. Long wait for appointments with overworked GPs is also making situation worse.
Around 1 in 4 Kiwis are infected with flu each year, yet many people are not fully conversant with the symptoms, its prevention or treatment.
As a GP, I am often asked by worried patients if they have a common cold or flu or even Covid-19 as some symptoms are similar.
So, let me explain various aspects of this highly infectious respiratory illness – influenza (commonly called flu), and give some useful tips to manage flu symptoms.
Flu is mainly caused by influenza A and B viruses, while influenza C virus causes a milder infection that is similar to common cold.
Flu symptoms often appear suddenly and most people have muscle aches and fever that lasts for 2-5 days. Some also have cold-like symptoms- runny nose and sore throat. Nausea,vomiting or diarrhoea can also occur, but is more common in children.
Flu symptoms usually improve over two to five days, although the illness may last for a week or more. Weakness and fatigue, however, may persist for several weeks.
Dr Partho Royis a Hamilton-based GP, urgent care physician and accredited skin cancer doctor. He is working as a GP in New Zealand since 2013.. In this exclusive to NewsViews, Dr Roy explains & gives some useful tips on symptoms, treatment & prevention of influenza. Keep an eye out for more in our Health series.
Influenza viruses spread mainly through coughing or sneezing. It can also spread through touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth, eyes, or nose. Affected persons can pass flu on to others, one day before symptoms actually develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick. It is, however, most contagious in the first 3-4 days of illness.
Cold or Flu? Both have similar symptoms and at times, it can be difficult to differentiate based solely on symptoms.
Treating flu symptoms can help you feel better
Generally, flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms are typically more intense and begin more abruptly, whereas symptoms of a cold are usually milder in comparison. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Fever is also rare in common colds. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations. Flu, on the other hand, can have serious associated complications.
Influenza and Covid-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, caused by different viruses, but have some identical symptoms. Therefore, testing is needed to rule out Covid -19.
Most people who get the flu usually recover fully within a week, but for some it can cause medical complications which can lead to serious illness and even death. These may include sinus or ear infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, heart failure, worsening asthma and miscarriage. Of these, pneumonia is the most common complication.
People at higher risk of developing complications if they get flu, include:
pregnant women and women who have just given birth
those with ongoing health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, cancer, a heart or lung condition, etc.
those aged 65 years or over (aged 55 and above for Māori communities/ Pacific people), and
very young children, especially babies under 1-year- old.
Treating the symptoms of flu can help you to feel better, but will not make the flu go away faster. Therefore:
Rest until the flu is fully resolved, especially if the illness has been severe
Drink enough fluids to avoid dehydration. One way to judge if you are drinking enough is to look at the colour of your urine. Normally, urine should be light yellow to nearly colourless. If you are drinking enough fluids, you should pass urine every three to five hours
Paracetamol (sample brand name: Panadol) can relieve fever, headache, and muscle aches
Cough medicines are not usually helpful, and normally resolves without treatment
Antibiotics are NOT useful for treating viral illnesses, such as influenza. Antibiotics should only be used if there is a bacterial complication of the flu such as bacterial pneumonia, ear infection, or sinusitis.
Most people with the flu recover without treatment. However, as serious complications can occur, I recommend you to see a doctor if you are in higher risk category, or:
feel short of breath or trouble breathing
pain or pressure in your chest or stomach
signs of being dehydrated, such as dizziness when standing or not passing urine
feel confused, and
unable to stop vomiting or drink enough fluids.
In children, you should seek help if the child has any of the above signs, or:
skin colour turns blue or purplish
is so irritable that they don’t want to be held
doesn’t have tears when crying (in infants)
has fever with a rash, and
doesn’t wake-up easily.
The most important step in preventing flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. Vaccine has been shown to reduce flu-related illnesses and the risk of serious complications that can result in hospitalization, or even death.
From 1 July, eligibility to free flu vaccines has been further eased to benefit extra 800,000 Kiwis, including 655,000 children aged 3-12 years. Therefore, this opportunity to get free vaccine should not be missed.
Some people, who get sick in spite of being vaccinated, do not actually have the flu; they have a cold caused by a virus unrelated to the flu virus, so the flu vaccine can’t help with that.
Additionally, take preventive actions -stay away from people who are sick, cover coughs and sneezes and frequent hand washing, etc to help slow the spread of germs.
Judging from the current trend, I tend to agree with many health professionals who believe this flu season will last until August, and so will be the case numbers.
Therefore, a sensible approach to protect yourself (and your tamariki and whanau) is by getting vaccinated and preventing the spread of the flu in the community as much as we can.
Editor’s Note: The above article is for information purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional for any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.
Timely reminder, but let’s not forget Covid, too which has resurfaced
When is next one coming in this series?
Having experienced endless wait at ER,prevention, no doubt, is the answer. In this case-flu vaccination
Agreed & coming from a GP directly makes it more trustworthy. Good on you, Newsviews. Time to get my flu jab…
Laudable effort – both Dr Roy & NewsViews, for this initiative. Look fwd to more…