What is meant by Influenza Flu?
Flu – a contagious respiratory illness – can make you feel uncomfortable and is caused by influenza virus. It is rarely life threatening and infects the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. It can result in mild to severe illness. Sometimes, it can lead to death too. The best way to prevent flu is by getting vaccinated each year. You can visit an emergency room near you to get yourself vaccinated for the flu. If left untreated, it can lead to severe health complications namely, sinus and ear infections, pneumonia, and sepsis. In some cases, the flu might even take your life away.
Symptoms of Flu
Flu can result in mild to severe illness and can sometimes lead to death. Do not compare flu with cold as flu pops up all of a sudden. People who suffer from flu often feel some or all of the above enlisted symptoms:
- Fever / running or blocked nose
- Cough / bodyaches / headache
- Sore throat / chills / fatigue
- Sometimes diarrhea and vomiting
What Are The Causes of the Flu
Influenza viruses are the leading cause of flu and are divided into three types: Type A, B and C. While Type A and B are the leading cause of the respiratory illness that occurs every winter. On the other hand Type C can result in mild respiratory illness or does not show any symptoms. Neither does it cause epidemics nor have a severe health impact that influenza types A and B have.
How Flu Spreads?
Influenza virus spreads from person to person when you cough and sneeze. When the droplets from a cough and sneeze of an infected person travel through the air and get deposited in the mouth or nose of the healthy person nearby – he or she might suffer from the infection of flu.
Most healthy adults may get infected from the other person since day 1 or before symptoms develop till 5-7 days after becoming sick.
How flu is diagnosed
Your doctor will look for signs and symptoms of flu by conducting an oral physical exam. He might possibly order you to undergo few tests for exact confirmation of influenza viruses.
The most common test is known as a rapid influenza diagnostics test (RIDT), which detects the parts of the virus that stimulates the immune response. The test results arrives in approx 10-15 minutes, however, they are not accurate as other tests conducted for flu. At Hope ER, in association with local hospital laboratories and national laboratory service providers, we perform a wide range of laboratory tests including the influenza test.
Treatment of flu
Usually, the doctors ask the patient to take complete bed rest. Considered to be the best and most efficient way to avoid the flu and prevent it from further spreading is to get yourself vaccinated. The flu vaccine is available as an injectable shot.
During the 2016-17 influenza season, CDC estimates that flu vaccine prevented an estimated 5.3 million illnesses and 85,000 hospitalizations associated with influenza. Get yourself vaccinated at your nearest Department of Health now to reduce the risk of flu in the year 2018.
Hope ER your very own emergency room near you in Lufkin TX is a no wait emergency room open 24×7 for your emergency medical needs when you need us most. You can reach us on our website at www.hopeer911.com or call us at 9368997243.