Influenza is the most unpleasant and dangerous of the existing acute respiratory viral infections. It is very easy to catch it and get sick thanks to the respiratory route of transmission. But recovery is not always possible quickly, because this infection often hits the weakest points in the body and provokes a lot of complications. But it is still possible to reduce the risk. If you know at what stage the flu is most contagious, you have a better chance of preventing it.
The mechanism of transmission of influenza and its prevention: how not to get infected on the street
Published: 11/15/2016 17:36
- 1. How to protect yourself from influenza and ARVI - basic methods
- 2. Vaccination against influenza and ARVI
- 3. Varieties of influenza
- 4. How effective is vaccination?
- 5. Maintaining good hygiene as flu prevention
- 6. Transmission mechanism
Influenza is a viral disease that is easy to catch, but getting rid of it, especially if treatment was started late, is not so easy.
Influenza is fraught with numerous complications that can become chronic. Therefore, prevention of acute respiratory infections and influenza is necessary.
Some believe that preventive measures consist of limiting contact with a patient with ARVI and using an antiviral mask on the street and in public places during a flu epidemic.
However, this is not enough, especially if there is a risk of contracting chicken or swine flu. How to protect yourself from influenza or ARVI using folk remedies and medications, recommendations and videos are below.
Recovery from influenza in adults
Proper nutrition, reasonable movement, and quality sleep help to recover from the flu. For those who have had the flu, it is important to adjust their diet. Basic rules of nutrition after suffering from the flu:
- choosing foods with plenty of vitamin C. It is involved in the formation of red blood cells. Rosehip infusion, citrus fruits, and kiwi are good additions to the diet;
- If a sore throat or other throat diseases develop during the course of the disease, it is important to create a gentle diet. Food should be soft, warm, soothing to the mucous membrane. These are purees, jelly, porridge, broth;
- continue to drink a lot of liquid: water, herbal infusions, fruit drinks, compotes. Warm drinking helps remove mucus from the respiratory tract, gently removes remaining intoxication and activates the excretory system.
How to protect yourself from influenza and ARVI - basic methods
Flu and its prevention is an important public issue that concerns everyone. There are three main ways to protect yourself from the flu during its epidemic.
- Vaccination. The flu shot is not mandatory, but it can be done if desired at local clinics or private offices.
- Prevention of influenza using medications and vitamins.
- Prevention of influenza with folk remedies and personal hygiene.
It is worth considering each of the methods in detail to determine whether and how it is possible to protect against the flu as reliably and safely as possible while on the street, in transport, or in contact with a patient with ARVI.
Treatment
Treatment of influenza should be comprehensive, with bed rest at home or, in severe cases, in a hospital. The first thing doctors recommend for flu is drinking plenty of fluids. This is important for the accelerated removal of virus decay products and activation of the body’s excretory system. The body sweats more, sweat is necessary for cooling at high temperatures.
Sometimes, a doctor may add medications to the treatment of influenza. Neuraminidase inhibitors are responsible for suppressing the influenza virus in the human body. Among them, the most popular are Oseltamivir (in Russia produced as Tamiflu) and Zanamivir. These are not antibiotics, but strong antiviral drugs aimed only at treating influenza.
At high temperatures, adults and children are prescribed antipyretic drugs. The most famous are paracetamol and ibuprofen. It is impossible to reduce the temperature sharply to low values. The body defeats the virus due to increased temperature.
Depending on the accompanying symptoms (cough, runny nose, body aches), the doctor prescribes symptomatic medications. When treating the influenza virus, it is important to prevent complications, and the symptomatic treatment regimen should solve this problem.
Flu medicine
For the treatment of influenza the following is used:
- etiotropic drugs. They directly affect the virus and destroy it. These include Relenza, Tamiflu, Oseltamivir, Nomides, Influcein.
- antipyretic and painkillers (usually based on paracetamol or ibuprofen);
- vasoconstrictors to relieve a runny nose;
- antitussives (mucolytics and expectorants).
Antibiotics for influenza
Antibiotics for influenza are prescribed only if a bacterial infection is associated with the influenza virus.
In general, depending on the severity and type of complications, the following is used:
- penicillins;
- cephalosporins;
- aminoglycosides;
- fluoroquinolones;
— macrolides;
- anti-tuberculosis antibiotics.
It is important to use antibiotics only as prescribed by a doctor. Self-prescription of antibiotics and self-medication can be fatal.
Vaccination against influenza and ARVI
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Vaccination against influenza or ARVI is the most reliable way to protect yourself from a dangerous disease during its epidemic. The vaccine helps strengthen a person’s natural immunity and protects him from both influenza and ARVI of any nature. Vaccinations save the population from such terrible diseases as measles, diphtheria, polio, and tetanus.
Thanks to compulsory vaccination, which is carried out in childhood, these diseases are practically not found in our region today.
The vaccine is not a treatment; it does not destroy the influenza virus itself. This is not a guarantee that a person will never get sick with regular or swine flu. But it will be much easier for him to bear it, without complications and side effects.
The Ministry of Health recommends such preventive measures for ARVI and influenza to be carried out during the cold season, when viruses are especially active - from October to December.
Children can be vaccinated against influenza starting at 6 months of age. It is recommended for people working in public places and institutions, elderly people (over 50 years old), and patients with chronic diseases.
Pregnant women are also at risk. But they can be vaccinated only after examination, in the absence of contraindications, after the first trimester of pregnancy. Vaccination is necessary for schoolchildren, students and military personnel living in barracks.
To get complete information about influenza, to find out the mechanism of infection with it, how specific and necessarily non-specific prevention of influenza is carried out, we invite you to watch the video.
Diagnostics
In most cases, clinical diagnostic methods are sufficient to determine the influenza virus, i.e. confirming the diagnosis based on symptoms. But when there is doubt about the diagnosis, the absence of epidemics and isolated complex cases of the disease, laboratory diagnostics of influenza is used. The analysis is taken through the nasal mucosa.
The most common method is the PCR test, which provides answers to the question about the disease, type and strain of the virus within 5-7 hours. In addition to PCR, the following are used in medicine:
- immunofluorescent reaction method for assessing the titer of antibodies to the influenza virus in blood serum. It gives results faster than PCR, but is less accurate;
- rapid tests. When passing them, the result can be obtained in 30 minutes, but the accuracy will not be high.
If it is impossible to test for the influenza virus, if there is a clear picture of symptoms or an epidemic, the doctor will diagnose influenza based on the clinical picture of the disease.
Varieties of influenza
A person can get swine or chicken flu during an epidemic of this disease. There is a distinction between seasonal flu and regular flu, which can be caught all year round simply on the street, without direct contact with a sick person.
Seasonal influenza outbreaks occur from October to March. Young people and children are most often affected by the disease (see video). It is important to know how long the incubation period for the flu is to accurately identify the problem.
On the one hand, older people have chronic diseases, which makes them more vulnerable to the virus. But they are not as often on the street as young people, visit public places less often and do not have daily contact with colleagues, classmates or classmates - and these are possible sources of transmission of the virus.
Young people have a stronger immune system, and the body more actively resists viruses. But the risk of catching them is much higher.
How often you can get vaccinated and how to prepare for it so as not to get swine, chicken or regular flu is shown in the video.
Flu treatment at the Mama Papa Ya clinic
For those suffering from the flu, the network of family clinics “Mama Papa Ya” offers various medical services at an affordable price:
- treatment of family members of any age;
- if necessary, consultation with an ENT doctor and other specialists;
- flu vaccination.
The clinic has a network of branches in Moscow and other cities. You can make an appointment or call a doctor by phone or on our website.
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Raisa Vasilievna can clearly and clearly explain what the problem is. If something is wrong, she speaks about everything directly, not in a veiled way, as other doctors sometimes do. I don’t regret that I ended up with her. Anna
I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of the clinic: Mom, Dad, and me. The clinic has a very friendly atmosphere, a very friendly and cheerful team and highly qualified specialists. Thank you very much! I wish your clinic prosperity.
Anonymous user
Today I had a mole removed on my face from dermatologist I.A. Kodareva. The doctor is very neat! Correct! Thanks a lot! Administrator Yulia Borshchevskaya is friendly and accurately fulfills her duties.
Belova E.M.
Today I was treated at the clinic, I was satisfied with the staff, as well as the gynecologist. Everyone treats patients with respect and attention. Many thanks to them and continued prosperity.
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The Mama Papa Ya clinic in Lyubertsy is very good. The team is friendly and responsive. I recommend this clinic to all my friends. Thanks to all doctors and administrators. I wish the clinic prosperity and many adequate clients.
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We visited the “Mama Papa Ya” Clinic with our child. A consultation with a pediatric cardiologist was needed. I liked the clinic. Good service, doctors. There was no queue, everything was the same price.
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I liked the first visit. They examined me carefully, prescribed additional examinations, and gave me good recommendations. I will continue treatment further; I liked the conditions at the clinic.
Christina
The doctor carefully examined my husband, prescribed an ECG and made a preliminary diagnosis. She gave recommendations on our situation and ordered additional examination. No comments so far. Financial agreements have been met.
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I really liked the clinic. Helpful staff. I had an appointment with gynecologist E.A. Mikhailova. I was satisfied, there are more such doctors. Thank you!!!
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How effective is vaccination?
Influenza vaccines are a key preventative measure that have been used for over sixty years. Efficacy can be assessed based on the likelihood of infection with the virus and the occurrence of complications and side effects. After mass vaccination, the following results are noted:
- Reduction in mortality in elderly people – 55-68%.
- The need for inpatient treatment for patients over 50 years of age is 48%.
- The probability of contracting ARVI and influenza among the elderly is up to 90%.
- Infection with the influenza virus in children after vaccination ranges from 60 to 92%.
- The occurrence of otitis media as a complication of influenza in schoolchildren – 30-35%
But, despite its fairly high effectiveness, flu vaccination has side effects. They are not observed so often, but you still need to be prepared for the following temporary symptoms:
- Pain in joints and muscles;
- Headache;
- Temperature rises to 37.5 degrees;
- Redness of the skin and swelling at the injection site.
All these symptoms usually disappear within 1-2 days. Serious complications and side effects after influenza vaccination can be observed in only one person out of a million vaccinated people. Therefore, all fears and concerns about the flu vaccine are groundless - the video talks about this.
There are certain precautions that can be taken to avoid complications during vaccination. First of all, the doctor needs to inform about all chronic diseases in the medical history, infectious diseases suffered in the last month, and about taking any medications.
You must notify your doctor of any allergies to medications or food. Almost all vaccines are made from chicken egg white. Therefore, if a patient has an individual intolerance to this product, flu vaccination is contraindicated for him - it can cause a severe allergy.
Other contraindications to vaccination are:
- Any infectious or chronic diseases in the acute stage;
- Allergy to vaccines for other diseases;
- Increased body temperature and acute pain;
- Children up to six months of age;
- First trimester of pregnancy.
Getting a flu vaccine is an effective way to reduce your risk of contracting the virus, and if you do become infected, the vaccine reduces hospitalizations and deaths from the disease (see detailed video).
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1. There is no flu without a high temperature!
A distinctive sign of influenza is a temperature of 38.5 - 39.0 ° C from the first hours of illness. If this is not the case for you, it is most likely an infection caused by another virus.
2. There is no runny nose with the flu.
In the first days of illness, the nose is often stuffy, which is associated with intoxication of the body and swelling of infected tissues, but there is no runny nose. Only on the 3-4th day can a classic runny nose appear, the cause of which is not a virus, but bacteria that have taken advantage of the temporary weakening of your immunity.
3. When you sneeze and cough, particles of saliva containing the influenza virus fly away at a speed of 16 km/h.
The myth that the infection spreads faster – 180 km/h – has not been scientifically confirmed. The results of the work were published in the journal plos one.
4. The influenza virus is not afraid of frost.
At temperatures around zero, the virus persists for up to a month. That is why the peak incidence occurs during thaws. But ordinary soap kills the virus, and drying and temperatures above 70 C also have an effect on the influenza virus.
5. Having received your salary in paper bills or withdrawing money from a plastic card, you can get the flu.
Scientists have found that banknotes are an excellent breeding ground for infection. The influenza virus remains on them for up to 2 weeks. Therefore, money in some countries is printed on paper with antiseptic properties. In Japan, money is washed at 200 degrees in a special washing machine.
6. The best remedy for flu for an infant is his mother’s milk.
If a nursing woman is sick with the flu, the baby should not be weaned. Antibodies from mother's milk are transferred to the baby during feeding. Therefore, the baby does not become infected with the flu while feeding.
7. Fever pills help the flu spread throughout the body.
After all, normal or slightly elevated body temperature is a paradise for the virus. If you are feeling well, it is recommended for adults to take antipyretics only at temperatures above 39°C, for children – 38.5°C.
8. Aspirin for the flu can lead to death, especially in children.
When a viral infection is combined with acetylsalicylic acid, which is part of aspirin and some other drugs, a serious condition can develop - Reye's syndrome.
9. The best incubator for “bacteriological weapons” is a domestic pig.
This animal suffers from both swine and bird flu, as well as all types of “human” flu. Several different viruses, once in such an “incubator,” can exchange characteristics and mutate. As a result, avian influenza can become contagious when transmitted from person to person.
10. The flu epidemic is “predicted” by the Internet.
In recent years, the Internet has become so firmly established in everyday life that biologists began to predict the coming flu epidemic and the speed of its spread in the world based on the number of queries about flu from users of the World Wide Web.
11. There is no point in treating the flu: the disease is not dangerous and will go away on its own.
Flu is very dangerous. Influenza can be fatal, especially in young children and older adults. In addition, the disease can leave behind various complications. Most often, the flu has a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system, reducing life expectancy by several years.
The ironic saying “flu lasts a week without treatment, but seven days with treatment” contains some truth. But not if treatment is started on time. Timely treatment will not only shorten the duration of the disease, but also reduce the likelihood of complications.
12. Can influenza be treated with antibiotics?
Antibiotics only act on bacteria. Viruses have nothing in common with bacteria, therefore it is useless to treat viral diseases, including influenza, with antibiotics. Sometimes, against a background of weakened immunity, a secondary bacterial infection can join a viral infection. And only in such a situation can a doctor (and only a doctor!) prescribe a course of antibiotics.
13. To avoid getting the flu, it’s enough to take vitamins and eat more onions, garlic, sauerkraut and lemons.
Vitamin prophylaxis is of a general strengthening nature and does not directly affect the virus. The optimal solution would be comprehensive prevention, which includes hardening, immunostimulating drugs, vaccination and, of course, vitamins.
14. The flu shot is not 100% guaranteed.
The risk of contracting the flu after vaccination remains, but is significantly reduced. On average, vaccination provides 80-90% protection.
15. Can the flu shot make you sick?
No vaccine causes typical disease. During the vaccination process, either a weakened virus or parts of it are introduced into the body. The virus contained in the vaccine cannot cause disease, but it can stimulate the body to produce antibodies. Therefore, when a “wild” virus enters the body, it does not take time to develop antibodies - they are already there after vaccination. Antibodies bind to the virus and thus prevent infection of the cell and the multiplication of the virus. Thanks to this, the disease is prevented even before it begins. Modern vaccines are easily tolerated, and after vaccination there are no symptoms of the disease. Some people may experience redness where the vaccine was given or a slight fever. These are perhaps the most unpleasant consequences of the vaccine.
16. Influenza viruses are constantly mutating. So it is impossible to predict which of them will be in “fashion” and create a vaccine that protects against it?
The World Health Organization constantly studies the movement of viruses around the world and, based on this research, makes suggestions to vaccine developers. Even if the forecast was not 100% correct, the vaccine still works, since most influenza viruses have common antibodies.
17. Is it too late to vaccinate after the outbreak of an epidemic?
The optimal time for vaccination against influenza is the autumn period - from September to November. It is best to get vaccinated 2-3 weeks before the start of the expected epidemic. If for some reason vaccination was not carried out on time, then it can be done after the outbreak of the epidemic, and only vaccines with non-live viruses can be used. However, if the vaccination was given when the person was already infected with the influenza virus, but clinical manifestations had not yet begun, then the vaccination may not be effective.
Transmission mechanism
The mechanism of transmission of the disease is airborne. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with a sick person, through sneezing, coughing, kissing, or shaking hands. ARVI and flu can be easily caught on the street. Other sources of infection are handrails in public transport, banknotes, and trolleys in a supermarket.
If a person sneezes or coughs, splashes of saliva scatter within a radius of two meters. The influenza virus enters the human body, penetrates the nasopharyngeal mucosa and begins to multiply. Cells affected by the virus die and toxins are released into the body.
At the same time, a person feels headaches, muscle aches, his body temperature rises, and a runny nose and cough begin. The patient's sleep is disturbed, he becomes irritable, and quickly gets tired. It is important not to contact the patient in the first three days after the onset of the disease - during this period it is most dangerous. In children it lasts up to seven days.
Outside the human body, the human virus remains viable for 2 to 8 hours, provided that the surfaces on which it settles are not disinfected. At temperatures of 100 degrees Celsius and above, the virus dies instantly.
Therefore, it is very important to wash the patient’s things in very hot water and treat all surfaces and objects with antiseptic solutions. This is nonspecific prevention of influenza, as the video in this article will tell you about.
The difference between influenza and a cold
The flu differs from a cold by the acute onset of the disease. The deterioration of the condition occurs suddenly, symptoms develop quickly and sharply. This is due to the high contagiousness of the virus, short incubation period, respiratory mode of infection, high susceptibility of the human body to influenza viruses, and lack of immunity to certain strains.
An acute respiratory viral infection or cold develops gradually over 2-3 days. With a cold, as a rule, the temperature does not rise above subfebrile levels, there is no acute fever, chills and severe muscle pain, vomiting, hallucinations, memory impairment and coordination. In general, with a cold, a person feels slightly unwell; with the flu - severe weakness, the inability to read, watch TV, or actively move independently even around the house.
A cold is characterized by the dominance of respiratory symptoms, and signs of intoxication are not expressed.
Also, from the 3-4th day of infection, influenza is often characterized by the development of tracheobronchitis or bronchitis with a severe cough, chest pain and breathing difficulties.
Cell Factory
In accordance with the laws of the cell, the synthesis of membrane proteins of future viruses occurs on chains of ribosomes
(cellular protein “factories”), attached to
the rough endoplasmic reticulum
- an intracellular transport system consisting of cavities and tubules.
Viral protein blanks are then transferred to another cellular organelle - the Golgi apparatus
- where they, like the cell’s own proteins, undergo glycosylation - the addition of certain carbohydrate residues.
The finished molecules of the membrane viral proteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase are combined and in this form transported to the outer border of the cell by special transport vesicles, which ensure the inclusion of viral molecules in special areas of the plasma membrane - lipid rafts
(
caveolae
).
The remaining viral proteins, intended to form complexes with the hereditary material of the future viral progeny (–)RNA, are synthesized on free polyribosomes of the cell, as befits all non-membrane proteins. It must be said that in this sense, the influenza virus even “suffers” some inconveniences - after all, proteins accumulate in the cytoplasm, and the (–)RNA itself accumulates in the nucleus. Therefore, viral proteins again resort to the help of the cellular transport system and penetrate into the nucleus, where they combine with viral (–)RNA, forming ribonucleoprotein particles
(RNP). The latter can be seen using an electron microscope: RNPs are rods with “loops” at the ends.
Thus, many copies of the viral genome were formed in the nucleus of the infected cell; future spikes of viral membrane proteins are “prepared” on the cell membrane - all that remains is to put together these parts of our constructor. The next step is the export of RNP particles from the nucleus into the cytoplasm and further to the plasma membrane of the cell (the mechanisms of this process have not yet been fully studied).
How to regain strength after the flu
Weakness after suffering from the flu can last for a month after recovery. It is important to remember this and enter the working and active mode gradually. The priority should be long sleep (at least 8 hours), good nutrition, moderate physical and mental activity. Otherwise, you won’t be able to quickly regain your strength after the flu.
You need walks, for which it is important to dress for the weather without cooling and without excessive overheating.
Due to the fact that active physical exercise is contraindicated during the recovery period, it is important to master forms of gentle exercise. A good way to recover from the flu is breathing exercises, including with breathing machines. Gymnastics helps saturate tissues and cells with oxygen, restores the functioning of all body systems and helps to undergo rehabilitation after the flu quickly, physiologically and comfortably.
