By Ernst Lamothe Jr.
The flu has been overshadowed during the past few years because of COVID-19.
However, flu-related illnesses have risen dramatically this season causing hospital system strain and an abundance of sick children and adults before expected.
“The flu is something we deal with every year in the fall, but it started earlier than in recent years. We have seen so far, flu issues are increasing and becoming a problem for our medical profession,” said physician Jennifer Abeles, internal medicine-pediatrics at the University at Buffalo medical department internal medicine.
“We have seen a combination of flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory issues all coming to a head. The flu is something to take seriously because while most people will recover, there is a significant amount of people where it can turn into pneumonia or death.”
Abeles, who is also the director of the adult sickel cell transitional care program for UBMD, discusses five aspects of the flu and viral ailments.
Flu symptoms usually come on suddenly. People who have flu often feel feverish, present chills, cough sore throat, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue. However, there are numerous common misconceptions when dealing with the flu.
“Many people automatically think that when they are not feeling well it is the flu,” said Abeles. “There is a distinctive difference in overall fatigue and other key symptoms with the flu such as high fever vs. the common cold where symptoms like coughing and runny nose persist.”
One of the major issues that Abeles wants to dispel surrounds the flu is the flu shot. “I hear too often people saying they get the flu from the flu shot simply because they feel some sickness or symptoms like fatigue and congestion. To me, that is a great sign if your body responds like that because that means your immune system understands and is reacting to something coming into your body. But that isn’t going to give you the flu,” she added.
Another myth Abeles wants to point out is patient misdiagnosis.
“The issue now with COVID-19 being something we have dealt with for the past few years is that whenever anyone feels sick they automatically think that it is COVID-19. They take numerous COVID-19 tests unnecessarily. There are often clear signs of when you have a common cold and when you have a distinctive respiratory issue.”
2. RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. It has been a hot medical topic because of the number of children that have been hospitalized this early fall. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis in younger adults, which is inflammation of the small airways in the lung and pneumonia, which is infections in the lung.
Each year in the United States, RSV leads to about 2.1 million outpatient visits among children younger than 5 and between 58,000-80,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We have had an incredible number of RSV cases hitting our younger population. It is making headline news,” said Abeles.
3.Vaccination
Abeles believes vaccinations are the reasons why many viruses and diseases that used to ravage society are no longer an issue. She views without the vaccination process; COVID-19 would have caused numerous more deaths and lingered longer as a grand pandemic.
“With many viruses and vaccination processes, we are attempting to get herd immunity. “Without getting vaccinated, you could have longer term sickness or longer term consequences,” she said.
“I would never tell a patient to do anything that I wouldn’t do for myself. I took the flu vaccine and my family took the flu vaccine. I want to keep them from getting sick. You don’t want to see what life would be without vaccines.”
4. Most vulnerable
Most people with the flu get better on their own. However, influenza can be serious and with complications, can be deadly. People who are at higher risk of developing flu complications include young children younger than 2, adults older than 65, residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities or those with weakened immune systems, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“We have to take care of each other as a society and that is why performing some of the basic hygiene routines and getting vaccinated continue to be essential,” she added.
5. Basics
Sometimes the simple things make the biggest differences.
“We know how viruses work. So we tell people to go back to the basics of regular handwashing, keeping your distance from sick people and also understanding that you should stay home from work and your children should stay home from school if they are sick to prevent spreading,” said Abeles. “That is how you prevent the spread along with making sure if you touch objects like door handles you don’t immediately touch your face.”