Combating the influenza virus

Influenza - the most common seasonal disease associated with lung involvement. The cause of the disease is influenza virus, which is characterized by a huge number of species and their characteristics. The severity of the disease and individual tolerance of its patients depends on the immune system. Great danger the disease may present for young children, pregnant women and elderly due to their vulnerability to this disorder. Special latitude development gets the seasonal flu. The time of its activity occurs in autumn and winter, with the aggravation of the epidemiological situation in the region.

This viral disease is characterized by the fact that it has acquired the status of an annual phenomenon which mutates, new strains becoming complicated, so during the winter it is necessary to clearly understand what the flu is and how to deal with it.

The danger of the flu

Annual flu kills huge numbers of people. Most of them are children and elderly people with weakened immune systems. A feature of the disease is that it can cause significant harm to the human body, affecting various organs and organ systems. Big threat the flu is responsible for the conception of the child, because as it spreads, it begins to produce toxic substances that adversely affect human organs. Flu viruses destroy the whole favourable for the survival of the fetal environment and may cause miscarriage. If the fetus will begin to develop, the heavy impact of the virus can cause a number of pathologies in the genital area, respiratory and other body systems. So the flu and conception are not compatible.

In addition to the chance of getting inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia), influenza threat and the development of diseases such as otitis media, pleurisy and bronchitis in complicated form. Pleurisy is dangerous and insidious in that it is striking the shell, which is covered with light.

Purulent inflammation of the middle ear - otitis media, can cause not only inflammation in the ears and neck and teeth. The flu, which gave the complications that can cause this disease is chronic, with constant suppuration from the ears, frequent inflammation, and in severe and profound hearing loss. The big danger at any stage of the flu carries with it the appearance of an inflammatory process in the Airways through which oxygen passes into the lungs. The mucous membrane of the bronchi is damaged, thereby creating conditions for reproduction of bacteria. If the patient fulfils all the recommendations of the flu, the shell can recover. But for other circumstances, the disease can causeserious pathological changes in the body.

Doctors annually establish a uniform rate epidemic threshold of flu. Despite preventive measures against disease, epidporog on a flu annually changes its performance in the direction of increasing, and most of it are children and the elderly.

The clinical picture

The mechanism of development and the origin of the disease lies in the fact that the pathogenesis of influenza has a number of features. At the beginning of the autumn-winter period very often patients confuse influenza and parainfluenza.

These two States have totally different picture of development. Influenza is an acute, sudden and serious disease that begins to damage the lungs. Parainfluenza gradually manifests with headache, cough, runny nose and changes in voice. The dominant influenza virus in early winter - it's seasonal, which gradually passes into a virus of type A and all its subtypes.

Classification of influenza has its own peculiarity: for many years, infectious disease specialists divide the disease into three types: influenza A, b and C. Of all forms of type C is the most safe and simple in clinical development: it does not cause epidemics and is characterized as a mild respiratory disease.

Type of influenza A virus has a different kind of complicated varieties. The reason for this was mutation of the flu that leads to very different reactions of the patient to the same type of virus. As a result of such features, many people who have a weak immune system, very hard to tolerate the flu. The first type of the disease is classified as seasonal. Sometimes, especially in the early stages of symptoms, symptoms may be confused with colds, it looks like a viral respiratory infection,. This type of the disease begins due to the fact that people infected with the virus as a result of permanent stay in a stuffy, enclosed rooms with a large number of participants. This type of flu is characterized by a number of complications, including:

• the emergence of bacterial pneumonia;
• the disturbance of the water balance in the body;
• exacerbation of concomitant diseases;
• inflammation of the ears.

To treat this type of disease virus, doctors recommend immediately anthroponymy drugs. In addition, do not forget about wearing gauze masks to avoid infecting others with the flu through airborne droplets. It is imperative to apply strengthen the immune system vitamins and other means. Influenza in adults and children treated practically the same, the difference is only the dosage.

Another subtype of the virus And in medical practice has received the namebird flu, in which carriers of the virus are poultry. The symptoms of this disease are very similar to colds, but can worsen the appearance of pneumonia and heavy breathing. Usually when infected by this type of patients die if treatment is not started at the earliest stages.

The third type of swine flu. It is very similar in its symptoms with a seasonal, but added to it a high body temperature, fever, cough, diarrhea, lung damage. Medical procedures are prescribed depending on the immunity of the patient and the symptoms he dominated.

This type of disease requires that the treatment took place at home. Patient needs bed rest with established physician therapy. With proper and timely treatment the patient can expect recovery.

The types of the disease

To distinguish between these types of flu, such as:

• atypical;
• highly pathogenic;
• intestinal.

Atypical flu starts very quickly and is different from seasonal influenza with severe complications. It is very tricky, because you can get them in any season, even summer. His sudden appearance suggests that the virus is in the air constantly, and this is the danger.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is a disease that appears as a result of a particular strain of virus such as bird flu, and carries a huge threat to human life.

No less dangerous is the rotavirus flu, which appears as a result of rotavirus intestinal infection.

Due to the fact that the incubation period of the disease about five days, the patient is contagious from the first days. Although after illness the body produces strong immunity to this virus, people can get sick twice. The disease process affects the mucosa of the intestine, begins its inflammation.

Very often people confuse their flu-like condition with usual colds. But there are some features of flu and should clearly distinguish its symptoms from the symptoms of colds, because the wrong treatment or neglected, the flu can lead to bad results. In influenza, the disease begins abruptly, with a cold - sluggish. The flu is characterized by low temperature.

In influenza fever for a few hours becomes severe and gives a high temperature of the body.

Characteristic of a cold is the preservation of health, no symptoms of intoxication, there is a strong headache. In influenza are observedsymptoms such as photophobia, headache and temporal pain, dizziness, as aches in the muscles. During the examination of the throat often occurs with the flu patches on the tongue, which may indicate a strong intoxication of an organism. The cough and feeling of heaviness in the chest for colds are observed almost immediately. The flu similar symptoms may occur only on the second day.

Quite often, the flu is redness of the eyes. Even after two or three weeks after the treatment of the disease the patient may experience fatigue, lack of energy, sleep disturbance, irritability.

Historical flu epidemic

In the world of medical practice are known cases when in times of a pandemic (epidemic) influenza, the most dangerous were the types of influenza virus, leading to mass deaths. Among these it is worth noting the deadly Spanish flu, which killed more than fifty million people. This is the most terrible epidemic in human history, which is gone today is not a threat to the world community.

Currently, there are the so-called goat flu - fever, which is spread by infected animals. A person can be infected with the virus this flu only through close contact with the animals or consume food it meat.

When infected by goat flu in humans increases the size of the spleen and liver on the body a rash, turn red pupils and develop symptoms of pneumonia. To date, the cases of infection were noted only in the Netherlands.

Today, the threat of the once Hong Kong flu, which was caused by the virus A(H3N2), is a seasonal influenza and is spreading in South Korea and China. Its name he received because of the main distribution in Hong Kong in 1969.

Modern infectious disease stated a few years ago, the emergence of new viral variants, which, despite a very small threat to the world, gained extensive publicity and led to global panic. We are talking about this type of the disease, as the Chinese flu. Examining the molecular structure of the virus, scientists have eliminated that threat, giving it the status of the Chinese seasonal flu.

Preventive measures

One of the most important points in the treatment of disease is its prevention. People who are prone to colds and viral infections, must prepare to migrate the flu as easily as possible.

The basis of prevention includes several components that help to effectively resist the disease. Easier to survive the flu helps vaccinated. Today, there are two types of vaccines: live andinactivated. Live vaccines are composed of the group non-infectious and attenuated viruses, inactivated do not contain live virus. Very popular vaccine “Grippol”, “Microgen”, “Flyuaryks”, “influvak”.

Plays a big role in strengthening the body against the flu. Eating a daily diet of fortified foods will help to replenish the supply of nutrients, strengthen the body. Special attention should be paid to vitamin C and group B.

In a period of difficult epidemiological situation is better not to visit places with large crowds. This will help to protect yourself from infection. Good antiviral remedy is rinsing your nose with sea salt solution. To prevent drying of the mucosa need the apartment to maintain humidification. This will help to avoid accumulation and penetration into the nasal mucosa of pathogenic bacteria, which can cause the propagation of the viral infection and lead to the spread of the flu. Do not forget that to start to temper the body needs in the summer. Water treatment, cold sponging can be performed at home and in the winter time.

Special of the consequences of self-treatment using alternative medicine methods, which are able not only complicate the healing process, but also lead to serious consequences. Only strict compliance with medical recommendations would be able to give a positive result in the treatment of the disease.