Myths and facts about the flu

A distinctive feature of the flu is a temperature of 38.5-39.0°C from the first hours of illness. If you don't, it's most likely an infection caused by another virus.

In the first days of the disease, the nose is often blocked, which is associated with intoxication of the body and edema of infected tissues, but there is no runny nose. Only on day 3-4, a classic runny nose may appear, the cause of which is not a virus, but bacteria that took advantage of the temporary weakening of your immunity.

The myth that the infection spreads faster-180 km / h, has not been scientifically confirmed. The results were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

At a temperature of about zero, the virus persists for up to a month. That is why the peak of morbidity occurs during the thaw. But ordinary soap kills the virus, as well as drying and temperatures above 70 C affect the flu virus.

Scientists have found that banknotes are an excellent breeding ground for infection. The flu virus persists 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.

If a nursing woman has the flu, you can not wean the baby from the breast. Antibodies from mother's milk are transmitted to the baby during feeding. Therefore, the baby does not get the flu during feeding.

After all, a normal or slightly elevated body temperature is a paradise for the virus. In case of satisfactory health, it is recommended to take antipyretics for adults only at a temperature above 39 C, for children-38.5°C.

When a combination of a viral infection and acetylsalicylic acid, which is part of aspirin and some other drugs, can develop a serious condition-Rey's syndrome.

This animal is sick with both swine and bird flu, as well as all types of "human" flu. Several different viruses, once in such an "incubator", can exchange signs, mutate. As a result, avian flu can become contagious when transmitted from person to person.

In recent years, the Internet has become so firmly embedded in everyday life that biologists have begun to predict the upcoming flu epidemic and the speed of its spread in the world by the number of requests about the flu from users of the world wide web.

The flu is very dangerous. Influenza can be fatal, especially in young children and the elderly. In addition, the disease can leave behind various complications. Most often, the flu has a disastrous effect on the cardiovascular system, reducing life expectancy by several years.

The ironic statement "without treatment, the flu lasts a week, and with treatment, seven days" contains some truth. But not if the treatment is started on time. Timely treatment will not only reduce the duration of the disease, but also reduce the likelihood of complications.

Antibiotics only work on bacteria. Viruses have nothing to do with bacteria, so it is useless to treat viral diseases, including influenza, with antibiotics. Sometimes, against the background of weakened immunity, a secondary bacterial infection can join the viral infection. And only in such a situation is the doctor (and only the doctor!) may prescribe a course of antibiotics.

Vitamin prophylaxis is generally restorative in nature and does not directly affect the virus. The optimal solution will be comprehensive prevention, which includes hardening, immunostimulating drugs, vaccination and, of course, vitamins.

The risk of contracting the flu after vaccination remains, but is significantly reduced. On average, the vaccination provides protection by 80-90%.

No vaccine causes a typical disease. During the vaccination process, either a weakened virus or parts of it are injected 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 produce antibodies – they are already there after vaccination .The antibodies bind to the virus and thus prevent the infection of the cell and the reproduction 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. Only some people may experience redness at the site of administration of the vaccine or a slight rise in temperature. This is probably the most unpleasant consequences of the introduction of the vaccine.

The World Health Organization is constantly investigating the movement of viruses around the world and based on these studies makes suggestions to vaccine developers. Even if the prognosis is not 100% correct, the vaccine still works, since most flu viruses have common antibodies.

The optimal time for flu vaccination is in 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 the vaccination was not carried out on time, then it can be done after the outbreak of the epidemic, and only vaccines with non-living viruses can be used. However, if the vaccination was made when the person was already infected with the flu virus, but the clinical manifestations have not yet begun, then the vaccination may be ineffective.