Even if it seems banal and harmless, the seasonal flu could be a serious
problem for your own health and your surroundings, in fact, the Spanish flu,
known also as the pandemic of 1918–1919 killed more people than the horrific
First World War.
The flu, scientifically called Influenza, is a
highly infectious respiratory illness caused by influenza types A, B and C
viruses. Flu activity usually begins in October, reaching a climax on December
till February, and sometimes it can last as late as the end of May.
In contrast to the regular seasonal epidemics of
influenza, pandemic influenzas occur irregularly with massive level of
mortality, Influenza pandemics happen when a new strain -completely
unrecognized by the human immune system- of the influenza virus is transmitted
to humans via another animal species (like pigs, chickens and ducks.) These
novel strains are unaffected by any immunity people may have to older strains
of human influenza and can consequently spread rapidly and infect very large
numbers of people, leading to serious consequences and even death before the
immune system can decipher how to deal with the viral threat.
Each annual flu season is normally linked
with a major influenza virus subtype. The associated subtype changes each year
due to development of immunological resistance to a previous year's strain, and
mutational changes in previously dormant viruses strains.
While flu and the common cold share several
symptoms, they are vastly different.
For example, symptoms of cold arise gradually
and are milder than those of flu, whereas signs of flu appear rapidly and are
intense, and may result in severe health problems such as pneumonia, bacterial
infections, and hospitalizations.
Some people are at a higher risk of going
through complications from flu. These groups include newborn and young
children, pregnant women, aged people over 65 years, and those with chronic
medical pathologies.
Here are some medical conditions that compromise
the immune system and increase significantly the risks from flu:
Asthma/COPD
It is highly suggested that asthmatics and
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD patients be vaccinated against flu
before the beginning of the flu season. People with asthma can have serious
pulmonary complications from influenza and the common cold, these complications
include pneumonia, acute bronchitis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome
and even death.
Each year, flu related complications
affect several hundred thousand asthmatics around the globe and millions more
for severe shortness of breath. It is recommended that asthmatics and other
patients with chronic pulmonary conditions get vaccinated between October and
November before the climax of the flu season.
Diabetes
Millions of people have chronic hyperglycemia
known as diabetes, when blood sugar levels are permanently disturbed due to the
lack of insulin or the increasing body resistance to insulin’s action. Diabetes
results in elevated blood sugars in the body with a chronic inflammation state
and an exhausted immune system, and this environment allows viruses and bacteria
to prosper, thus diabetic patients can quickly develop a wide range of
complications.
If blood sugars are badly controlled, a mild flu
can rapidly become severe, leading to a necessary hospitalization and even death
in lack of adequat treatment. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels suppress the immune
system and causing severe cases of the influenza. therefore, it is recommended
that diabetics should be vaccinated against flu, of course before the start of
the flu season.
AIDS
Individuals who acquire the human immune
deficiency virus (HIV) are generally prone to all variety of infections, the
immune system vulnerability depends on the stage of the illness and the quality
of treatment. HIV destroys continuously the body's immune system via consuming
lymphocytes CD4, and this makes one vulnerable to not only viral infections but
bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections. People suffering from AIDS are at
a high risk of deadly flu-related complications. Many studies have shown that
individuals with HIV can develop easily serious pneumonia, leading to
hospitalization and heavy antibiotic therapy. Furthermore, people with HIV have
a longer flu season and are at a high risk of death. For these people,
vaccination has been shown to boost the immune system and protect against the
seasonal flu in some cases, but the vaccination must be done with the inactivated
influenza vaccine.
Malign Tumors
People with malign tumor usually have a suppressed
immune system, due to the stage of the disease itself or the immunosuppressive
treatment needed for the treatment (radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy). Several
cancer patients experience radiation therapy and immunosuppressive medications,
which suppresses the body's ability to fight infections. Cancer patients
are highly susceptible to have complications from seasonal flu. Thus people
suffering from cancer or have it as an antecedent should receive the seasonal
flu shot. Flu vaccination is also highly recommended for lung cancer or blood
cancer patients, as these cancers cause pneumonia and bronchitis and weaken the
immune system. The flu shot is made up of inactivated viruses making the
vaccine safer for those with a weakened immune system.
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