Influenza

Influenza is most commonly known as the flu, which is an infection caused by a virus. The flu virus infects the respiratory tract of the person. Influenza can spread from one person to another through air or through contact with items carrying the flu virus.

The most common symptoms of flu infection are fever, chills, dry cough, headache, sore throat, runny nose, and chest discomfort. The flu virus weakens the immune system of the patient. People generally seek influenza treatment after these flu symptoms become visible.

What are the causes of Influenza?

People fall prey to flu infection mostly during seasonal changes and when the weather grows colder, as the flu virus becomes more active during this time. It spreads easily through the air and can infect a large number of people in a very short time.

There are three types of viruses – A, B and C. Of these, type C is a very benign virus and is seldom known to cause any major concern in terms of symptoms or epidemics. The other two major strains – type A and B are generally the focus of all efforts to control influenza as these are responsible for the seasonal flu epidemics.

If you believe you have become infected by the flu, you should seek consultation and start treatment within 48 hours of the first sign of symptoms. The earlier you start treatment, the better are your chances of developing a full blown flu infection. In most cases, influenza infection lasts for a minimum of about one week, but if treatment is delayed, the bout might last longer.

The latest threat in terms of influenza is the avian bird flu virus. First seen among wild fowl in 2003, avian influenza has quickly spread to poultry birds and has also resulted in several cases of human infection and death. It is caused by strains of the H5N1 virus which generally does not infect humans. However, authorities believe that if the virus strain mutates and starts spreading through the air, it might lead to a major influenza pandemic.

The strains of H5N1 virus weaken the immune system of the body and can quickly lead to severe weakness and death. The severity of the Avian bird flu virus has forced the world health watch body, WHO (World Health Organization), to approve the use of Tamiflu worldwide for bird flu prevention or to deal with any eventuality of pandemic like situation out of bird flu.

Influenza treatment

Immediate medical consultation should be your first step as soon as you realise you have contracted the flu virus. The doctor generally prescribes some prescription anti-viral drugs after proper medical examination of patients. Tamiflu is one such anti-viral drug that is generally prescribed by doctors for treatment.

If you have been prescribed Tamiflu for your influenza treatment, you should follow the doctor’s instructions for taking the medication. This treatment should be started within two days of experiencing flu symptoms. Children one year old or above can also take this treatment, which is also available in fruit flavoured suspension. However, for dosages of this treatment, you should follow the advice of your GP.

This treatment can also be used for influenza prevention. You should seek the advice of your GP while taking Tamilfu for flu prevention. However, this treatment can not be a substitute for a flu vaccination, which is the first line of action for flu prevention and flu treatment. You can find more information about Tamiflu here.