Flu myths: cure or vaccinate?

The more we learn about the flu now, the easier it will be to avoid getting sick. This is the opinion of Irina Valentinovna Ivanova, candidate of medical sciences, infectious disease doctor and head of the consultative and prophylactic department of IKB No. 1. Especially for the readers of Healthy Food Near Me, Irina Valentinovna dispelled the most popular myths about influenza viruses.

Myth 1. It’s a cold, you need to buy antibiotics

Now even preschoolers are aware that influenza is a viral disease that is transmitted by airborne droplets from a sick person. Flu symptoms can be similar to those of other respiratory infections.

Influenza is especially typical for:

And still, only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis. He will prescribe treatment, but self-medication and especially taking antibiotics is a bad idea, since medications of this type are effective only against bacterial, not viral diseases. Modern medicine fights influenza with antiviral drugs (but only with proven efficacy) and vaccines. The most ideal option is vaccination “with a margin”, that is, before the start of the epidemic: the immune system does not react to the flu vaccine immediately, but only after a couple of weeks.

Myth 2. Influenza, coronavirus, cold are almost synonyms

Not really. Rather, “not at all …”. What these diseases have in common is the transmission of the pathogen (airborne droplets) and the localization of the pathological process (upper and lower respiratory tract). As Irina Valentinovna notes, their symptoms, course of the disease and subsequent complications are different. Treatment regimens will also vary. The flu virus is aggressive and multiplies rapidly in a comfortable environment. Within a few hours after infection, the mucous membrane at the site of the introduction of the virus is damaged – this is how the pathogen opens the way for numerous bacteria to the human body. It is because of the aggressiveness of the flu that doctors advise calling doctors at home at the first symptoms of ARVI.

As you know, trouble does not come alone. Complications after influenza are more severe than most acute respiratory viral infections and are approaching coronavirus. In particular, the flu, if improperly or delayed treatment, can lead to bronchitis, tracheitis, sinusitis, myocarditis, meningitis, encephalitis and other diseases. And the most frequent and dangerous companion of the flu is pneumonia. Complication in the form of pneumonia, which can be caused by both the influenza virus and an associated bacterial infection, can be extremely difficult and is often the main cause of death in patients with influenza.

“The groups at high risk of developing the adverse consequences of influenza disease include children aged 0–6 years, adults over the age of 60 and people with chronic somatic diseases, regardless of age,” our expert says.

Myth 3. If you sit in a draft or get your feet wet, you will definitely get the flu

The statement is correct, but only indirectly. Of course, if you walk in ankle boots soaked through all day or just freeze, the chances of catching a viral infection increase, since hypothermia develops optimal conditions for infection. But if there was no contact with the source of the flu (that is, you were not in the same room with the sick person), you will not get infected.

Considering that influenza and acute respiratory viral infections are the most common infectious diseases in the world, there is only one way to avoid contact with a carrier of the virus: by barricading yourself at home.

Myth 4. I do not need a vaccination – I am completely healthy, I go in for sports, I wear a mask in public places

Posters on the walls of district polyclinics urge to lead a healthy lifestyle, play sports, eat right, and wear personal protective equipment during the flu season. These measures are always relevant, and yet the virus arrives where you do not expect to meet it.

At risk of infection, for example, not only schoolchildren, preschool children, students and public transport drivers. Often, the employees of medical institutions themselves and the military personnel living in the barracks themselves get sick, although there is enough sport in the life of the latter.

They are primarily shown vaccination. This is often the only way not to get infected and to protect yourself from serious complications. “The most effective way to avoid getting the flu is to get vaccinated,” confirms Irina Valentinovna.

Myth 5. Flu vaccine leads to illness

The so-called “vaccine reaction” after vaccination is alarming for many. The temperature rises and there are unpleasant pre-cold sensations, however, soon everything goes away. Irina Valentinovna emphasizes that this is a normal short-term reaction of the body to the vaccine, and one should not be afraid of it: “Vaccination against influenza is carried out with vaccines developed according to WHO recommendations. Flu vaccines are inactivated, meaning they do not contain a live virus and cannot cause the flu. All of them have passed mandatory state registration and are completely safe. “

It is important to get vaccinated on time. During the peak of the epidemic, this is practically pointless, because it takes at least two weeks to develop immunity against influenza after a vaccine – sometimes up to a month. Given that the epidemic usually begins in January, the ideal time for vaccinations is from September to the end of October.

A complete list of vaccination points with addresses and opening times in Moscow can be found here.