Flu Myths

Flu season has started. Last year, 2,7 million reported cases of this disease were recorded in our country. For this reason, doctors have prepared a report containing a list of the biggest flu myths, which is worth reading – if only because some of them also linger in Poland.

The 2014/2015 flu season in our country started exceptionally early, on August 25. From that day, flu vaccines appeared in pharmacies and wholesalers. This acceleration is by no means the effect of a greater threat, but of the introduction of faster updating procedures for medicinal products, which made it possible to introduce new vaccinated drugs to the Polish market earlier. The head of the National Influenza Center, prof. Lidia Brydak says the vaccine provides the best protection against seasonal flu. It also enables the avoidance of severe, disabling complications from influenza. Some of them, such as endocarditis, can be life-threatening and, even after recovery, significantly worsen its length. Indirectly, the protective possibilities of the vaccine are confirmed by data from Poland, published by the National Institute of Hygiene. In the 2013/2014 season, 3,8 percent were vaccinated. Poles, but a few people previously vaccinated fell ill with flu, and in almost all cases it was mild. Meanwhile, there were 2,7 million cases of the disease. 9 thousand people were hospitalized people, 15 deaths were recorded.

In the current season, the vaccination recommendations of the World Health Organization have also changed. This year, according to WHO, vaccines must contain antigens for strains related to:

— A/California/7/2009 (H1N1),

— A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2),

— B/Massachusetts/2/2012 (linia Yamagata).

The 4-valent vaccine should additionally contain antigens against strains related to B / Brisbane / 60/2008 (Victoria line). Analysts also predict that in the current season the peak incidence may occur in January-February 2015.

There are many myths about influenza around the world, including Poland. In connection with the beginning of the flu season not only in Europe, but also across the Atlantic, a report by doctors from the US has been prepared, showing these myths and dispelling the alleged threats that lie at their root. It is worth getting acquainted with it, because these myths are also alive in our country.

You can get infected through vaccination

Can not. The flu vaccine is made of dead virus particles, and because the virus is dead, you can’t catch it, says Dr. Holly Phillips, a New York-based internist and medical expert at WCBS News. The intranasal versions of the vaccine (marketed as FluMist) popular in Western Europe and the US, intended for children from two years of age and healthy adults aged 18-49, are more potent, but they also contain viruses lacking essential fragments without which they cannot work; so they too cannot infect. We know where this myth comes from: 2 weeks must pass from the time of vaccination to the body becoming resistant to the strain. If, during the first week, someone who has the vaccine becomes infected with the flu virus, they will get it. The closer to the end of the second week, the less likely you are to get sick.

Young and healthy people do not have to be afraid of flu

It is also a myth. It is true that children, the elderly and people with chronic diseases are most affected by the flu, but anyone can catch it. Young and healthy in particular, because they do not care about health as much as the elderly, says Dr. Phillips. It is worth remembering that due to this little care for health among young people, the American CDC, the Swedish SMI, and even the WHO recommend vaccination at the beginning of the flu season. Even if the young person is not at risk, e.g. medical workers or trafficked workers, where contact with people is constant, vaccination stops transmission of the virus on him. He will not get sick and will not carry it further. According to prof. Niro Siriwardena from the University of Lincoln, the more people get vaccinated in a given season, the greater the chance that the flu will not affect their loved ones.

Flu causes stomach upset

In fact, flu rarely causes gastrointestinal disturbances. Despite the flu-like symptoms of high fever, headaches and general breakdown, what we call stomach flu has little to do with flu. The perpetrator of these ailments are rotaviruses. They usually attack children, although they also occur in adults. It is one of the common diseases of dirty hands, and the carrier of the virus does not necessarily have to become ill, making it sometimes associated with the flu. Rotavirus infection, if properly treated (fluid and electrolyte replenishment), lasts much shorter than the flu.

A pregnant woman must not receive flu vaccines

Conversely, it is the complications resulting from acute influenza in the first months of pregnancy that can cause damage to the fetus that causes prematurity or damage to hearing (the most common complication). There are vaccines that can be taken by a woman who is even in the first trimester of pregnancy, with an adjuvant that does not make the body react violently. This vaccine may be prescribed by your primary care physician. It is worth noting that during pregnancy, the immune system changes, the way you breathe and even your heart rate. Contrary to popular myths, a woman at that time is not healthy for two – her body cannot be overloaded, which will, for example, require the immune system to fight flu viruses.

To avoid flu, wash your hands often

Doctors recommend such measures, especially during a flu epidemic and when using public transport. However, while this reduces the chances of contamination, it will not completely eliminate the risk of infection. Influenza spreads through droplets, and the infection itself occurs 24 hours before the carrier falls ill on its own. Weakened viruses can spread for up to a week after the body has fought off the disease. The droplets containing the viruses mainly spread to the face (nose, mouth and eyes) of people next to you. So washing your face is also very advisable, because according to the Swedish SMI, the flu virus can live up to 8 hours in the air.

You got the flu, so the vaccine didn’t work

The flu vaccine is not a vaccine against measles or polio, it does not provide 100 percent. protection. Currently, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine is 60-90%. This difference does not depend on the producers, but is due to the fact that the vaccines for the next season are prepared in advance, before the disease even begins. Since the flu virus is one of the fastest mutating viruses, sometimes a new strain emerges during the season that the vaccine does not protect against. Then its efficiency drops. According to Dr. Robert Arao, a biochemist at the Group Health Research Institute, in vaccinated people anyway has a milder course of flu than in those who did not get vaccinated. And still the point is to protect yourself against a hospital stay or even life-threatening conditions, not a slight flu infection.

I’ll take an antibiotic, it’ll help

This is the first reaction of busy Polish women and Poles to the first symptoms of what they call a cold, which may be the flu. There is nothing worse to do – antibiotics for viruses do not work, and the immune system is also disrupted. Self-administration of antiviral drugs such as TamiFlu is popular in Western Europe and the USA, and is taken up to 48 hours after the onset of flu symptoms. This type of treatment cannot be highly recommended: it is better to see a doctor at the first flu-like symptoms. Doctors themselves do not recommend such self-treatment. Medical consultation is necessary in the presence of flu symptoms. Only a doctor can notice the symptoms of complications that may develop from an ignored flu infection, warns Dr. Holly Phillips.

It’s just a little flu, I’m so busy, I’m going through this

Doctors generally approve of such conduct with strong comments. Going through the flu is suicidal and extremely harmful to others. The sick person is just a walking virus factory, effectively facilitating their transmission. Sam is putting his health and life at risk and putting others at risk, says Dr. Phillips. Scientists list 30 diseases – most serious diseases that can be caught from the flu – from chronic sinusitis to endocarditis, which can make a person crippled for life. It is better to risk problems at work than health problems – says prof. Siriwarden. Stay home, take your doctor’s prescribed medication, drink plenty of fluids, and don’t leave too early – even after your symptoms have cleared, you still have to wait for the immune system to return to its proper rhythm. During this period, you are exposed to infection with another disease, e.g. bacterial – he adds.

Tekst: Marek Mejssner