Eternally sick: what prevents you to protect yourself from influenza

WHO Experts predict that the highest incidence of influenza peak in Russia in 2018 will drop it in February. In St. Petersburg, has exceeded the threshold of disease by 28%, and in other regions, too, have a high risk of an epidemic. To protect yourself and your loved ones from infection, study, what precautions are actually useless, and what should be done now.

1. The vaccine will not cause you flu

The flu vaccine contains an inactive version of the virus, so that the standard vaccinations you do not infect. People get confused because of the coincidence: the side effects of vaccination include symptoms similar to the flu: mild fever, headache and muscle pain. Moreover, people often resort to vaccination in the autumn and early winter - when everywhere prevail respiratory diseases that are mistaken for the flu.

And remember that after receiving the flu shot can take two to four weeks to completely protect the "Customize". If you are exposed to the virus at this time - you just got unlucky.

If someone insists that ill after vaccination, smile and tell me how the vaccine works in reality. It activates the immune system and charges the cells to ensure that they produce antibodies against the live virus that is very similar to the inactive version contained in the preparation. If your friend confirms that clinics use only cheap and ineffective drugs, then it is worth considering the fact that the fight against the epidemic costing the health care system is much more expensive than the savings on a vaccine.

Free you can get vaccinated at any clinic after an appeal to the therapist or doctor on duty. For vaccination do not need a residence permit or registration. It is only important to have a Russian passport. Even MHI policy is optional. It is only important to sign an informed consent after a medical examination the doctor.

2. There is no vaccine shelf-life

Since the very flu virus is constantly mutating, the composition of the vaccine also changes each year to protect patients from pathogens that spread in any season. According to the World Health Organization, the flu vaccine is never 100% effective. However, even if the vaccine does not protect against infection, it still stimulates your immune system, so that the symptoms are expressed less clearly, and you will not suffer from complications.

3. Do you think that the flu season has ended

Although seasonal outbreaks occur mainly in October, and the active period occurs from December to February, influenza activity can last until May. So it's never too late to apply to the nearest medical center, as well you protect not only themselves, but also the family: the probability of infection of any member of the family is much lower if you have been vaccinated.

4. Vitamins and supplements do not help to

The only thing that causes your immune system to defend against the flu - is vaccination. Zinc, vitamin C, or any dietary supplements can only help deal with the symptoms and not much else. Of course, you can continue to take them if you want, but it is much more effective would be to just drink a lot of tea and rinse your mouth to keep the throat moist.

5. Are you sure that the flu is contagious, but if you're in a fever

Rasprostronyaetsya virus, even when a sneeze or cough even 24 hours before the first symptoms appear. After that, the infection enters the active phase, and you remain contagious even after 24 hours from when the temperature will be held.

6. The flu - it is not deadly

You could easily hear from the media stories about the healthy adults who died a few days after he was diagnosed with "flu". In practice, the majority of these deaths are the result of multiple infections occurring simultaneously, for example, it may be pneumonia, sepsis and heart failure. The more you have a disease, the harder it is the body fight infection.

If you have a high fever, pain throughout the body, sore throat and cough, it most likely common flu. If the temperature does not fall within two or three days, and you get worse - an occasion consult a doctor immediately.

7. Still believe that Tamiflu treats flu successfully

If you are taking an antiviral medication within 48 hours after it has found the first symptom, drugs such as Tamiflu or zanamivir can reduce the severity of the infection, to reduce its duration by a day or slightly reduce the ability of the virus to spread. But without these drugs your immune system is fully capable to overcome the disease.

Remember that doctors do not recommend taking antibiotics during the period of the disease without specific purpose, because they can only block the reproduction of bacteria, not completely get rid of them, which leads to secondary infection.