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Since the beginning of the year, 10 people have died from influenza in Poland. Experts cited by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna warn that the flu is a greater threat to Poles than the 2019-nCov coronavirus. However, the peak of flu cases may contribute to increased panic related to the Wuhan coronavirus.
Masks and virus tests are missing
More than 40,5 thousand have already been infected with the Wuhan coronavirus. people. Although the virus has not yet reached Poland, we have already read about suspected cases in our country. So far, each of them has been false. However, experts have no doubts that sooner or later the 2019-nCov coronavirus will also reach Poland.
As we reported a few days ago, pharmacies lack medical masks that have been massively bought to protect against the virus. In many wholesalers it was no longer possible to buy them.
- Zobacz: There are no masks in Polish pharmacies. Coronavirus Effect?
As reported by “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna”, it is also becoming more and more difficult to get an appointment with a family doctor, there is a shortage of tests for diagnosing the virus in clinics, and some drugs are disappearing from pharmacy shelves at an alarming rate. It is indirectly related to the Wuhan coronavirus, but the real cause of this is the flu. The disease is just taking off, as can be seen in the statistics. In the last week of January (23-31 January 2020), 204 cases of flu and suspected flu were recorded in Poland. Five people died during this period, including four over 726 and one in the 65-15 age group.
The flu season in Poland lasts on average from September-October to March-April. This year, due to the 2019-nCov coronavirus, the flu season is of particular importance. The symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus in the early stages of the disease are similar to the flu. There is a high fever and problems with the respiratory system.
– We already receive a lot of calls from patients who ask how to interpret various symptoms – admitted prof. Grażyna Cholewińska-Szymańska, a Mazovian infectious disease consultant. He also adds that people who have not recently been in China and have not had contact with someone who has just returned from Asia are excluded from the risk group.
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DGP also admits that doctors are concerned about the possible time coincidence of the 2019-nCov coronavirus in Poland with the peak of the flu season. This could translate into even greater crowds in hospitals and clinics.
– We are afraid that people with high fever will come to us, suspecting that they have coronavirus because they were at a conference or in a shopping center, where many foreigners were present. We do not know how to prepare for this – said an employee of one of the Warsaw clinics quoted in DGP.
Flu vaccination has not been successful
There are different ways to protect yourself from catching the flu. Prevention is the most important thing. One way is to get the flu vaccine, which must be repeated every year. However, the data of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate show that few people take advantage of this possibility. In the last endemic season, only 3,9 percent were vaccinated. population. The highest percentage of vaccinated against influenza is in the age group over 65 (14,2%). This is due to the fact that many local governments provide free vaccination for these people.
Flu prophylaxis also includes observing hygiene of hand washing and disinfection, covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, avoiding being in crowded places, as well as avoiding direct contact with other people with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection (for the National Institute of Hygiene).
The data prepared by the website ktomalek.pl for DGP also show that patients have recently shown a growing interest in the drugs Tamiflu, Ebilfumin and Tamivil, which contain oseltamvir – a substance that acts selectively against the influenza virus.
The peak of flu cases is ahead of us. However, it is already evident that both patients and doctors are more sensitive to the symptoms of flu. Some clinics do not have test strips to help diagnose the virus. Why is it so important to know exactly what the patient is infected with? Flu or colds can be effectively treated. In the case of coronavirus infection, it is necessary to apply quarantine due to high infectivity. Another problem is that there is no effective cure for the coronavirus.
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