Treatment
Notes
Fighting
Flu
(Consumer’s Association)
For
most people, flu is a nasty but brief illness. Usually, the best thing for them
to do is rest and treat themselves at home. But some people are at high risk of
dangerous heath problems from flu. So it's important for them to have a flu jab
every year to help prevent it.
Flu (influenza) is an infection caused by the
influenza virus. Every year in the UK, flu makes thousands of people ill, and
the numbers can climb steeply during epidemics (which tend to happen every 3-5
years).
The influenza virus mainly attacks the breathing passages - including the nose, sinuses, throat and lungs. The virus spreads easily from person to person, usually through the air - when the spray of tiny droplets from a sneeze or cough are breathed in by someone else nearby.
Once the virus has got into
your breathing system, it can multiply over and over again. So, within a few
days there'll be millions more copies of the virus in the body. This leads to
the symptoms of flu and the infection can spread easily to other people.
Is it really flu?
Typical symptoms of flu include a high
temperature, chills, a headache, aching muscles, a cough, a blocked nose, loss of
appetite and feeling very tired. These symptoms are usually much more severe
than with a cold.
There's no quick and totally reliable way to tell
whether your illness is flu, rather than another infection that causes similar
symptoms. In general, a 'best guess' has to be made based on your symptoms and
whether there's flu around at the time. To get a firm diagnosis, a doctor would
have to organise laboratory tests. Getting the test results would take several
days - by which time you would probably be feeling better anyway. In fact, when
testing is done, between 3 and 4 out of 10 people with symptoms of flu actually
turn out not to have flu - even during a known outbreak.
Natural defences and flu jabs
In general, flu makes people feel very poorly. But, the body's immune
system is usually able to fight off the infection within a few days. The worst
symptoms of flu usually pass within 5-6 days, although some people feel weak
for longer. Most people with flu get better without needing to see their GP.
The situation is different for people at high risk of getting serious
health problems from flu, such as pneumonia.
People at high risk from complications of flu include those aged 65 or
over
-living in a nursing or residential home0 who have heart or lung disease
(for
example, asthma)
- who have diabetes that requires
medicines
- who have kidney failure
- who have an illness or medical
treatment that could weaken their immune
system (such as cancer, HIV infection or taking steroid tablets
for a long time).
Flu can be very dangerous for such people. For example, each year at least 3000 people, mainly elderly, die as a result of flu. And in a major epidemic, the number who die can be much higher. So, if you're in one or more of the groups at high risk, it's definitely worth having the flu jab every year.
The
flu jab (vaccination)
The flu jab is based on a form of the influenza virus. It prepares the immune system for an attack by flu, but can't actually cause the infection. However, the jab doesn't totally protect everyone and some people may still get flu even though they've had the jab.
The flu jab doesn't usually cause side-effects, but it
can cause soreness around where the injection was given or possibly make people
feel unwell for a few days.
It's advisable for people in the
high-risk groups to be vaccinated against flu every year. This is
because the flu virus tends to change, so the ingredients of the jab has to be
updated. Ideally, you should have the jab every autumn, before the flu season
starts. It's free on the NHS for people in
the high-risk groups. Healthcare workers are also offered the jab to prevent
them catching and spreading flu to people they're looking after.
If you get the symptoms of flu, the best advice is to rest, keep
warm and drink plenty of liquid. Taking paracetamol will help to
reduce your high temperature and to relieve flu symptoms such as a headache.
Because flu is
caused by a virus, not bacteria, antibiotics won't help. There's no point
automatically making an appointment to go and see your GP. But you should seek
their advice if you become more and more unwell with flu, particularly if
you're in one of the high-risk groups.
The paragraph, below, gives a few tips about treating
yourself safely at home.
Treat yourself
safely
If you take
paracetamol, it's crucial to stick to the dose given on the packet. The maximum
safe dose far adults is a total of 4000mg within a day - 8 of the usual 500mg
tablets.
Take special care
if you use more than one type of medicine in the same 24-hour period. You could
be getting the same ingredient without realising it. Far example, painkillers,
hot lemon drinks, and night-time flu remedies may all contain paracetamal.
Special
versions of paracetamal are available far children. Do not give aspirin to
children under 16.
For more advice about treating
flu safely, ask your pharmacist.
(Only for those in the high
risk Group)
The flu jab is the best way
of preventing flu. But there are also two medicines now available – oseltamivir
(brand name Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). Both can be prescribed to treat
flu during a local outbreak.
Oseltamivir can also be taken during a local outbreak to try and prevent someone getting flu. See the paragraph below for more on these medicines.
Oseltamivir comes in either liquid or
capsules to swallow.
Zanamivir is taken by breathing it
into the lungs, It comes in a device similar to the inhalers used by many people with asthma.
Oseltamivir and zanamivir seem to cause
few side effects in healthy people. However, oseltamvir can came nausea and
vomiting. And some people with asthma get wheezy when they use zanamivir.
Oseltamivir is not suitable for babies under I year. Zanamivir is not
suitable for children under 12. Neither medicine should be taken by women who
are pregnant or breast-feeding.
How do they work?
Oseltamivir
and zanamivir interfere with the way the flu virus multiplies. This helps stop
the virus spreading in the body. In theory, this should make it easier for the
immune system to fight off the virus. When used to prevent flu, oseltamivir
must be started within 48 hours of coming into close contact with someone with
flu and must be taken for 7 days. It can also be taken for up to 6 weeks during
a local outbreak. When used to treat flu, oseltamivir or zanamivir must be
started within 48 hours of the first symptoms.
Does oseltamivir prevent flu?
Proof that new medicines work requires tests with
patients (clinical trials). Such trials show that if healthy adults take
oseltamivir for 6 weeks during a flu outbreak, it reduces the number of them
who get flu, from around 5 in 100 people to around 1 in 100. It also offers
some protection if someone takes it for 7 days following close contact with
someone with flu. But, since flu in healthy adults isn't generally dangerous
and doesn't last long, there doesn't seem much benefit in it being prescribed
to prevent flu in just anyone.
Trials also suggest that preventive treatment with oseltamivir
can help in situations when there's a risk of flu spreading rapidly amongst
'high risk' people. In particular, oseltamivir could be used during an outbreak
in a residential home for elderly people. This would involve both residents and
staff taking the medicine until the outbreak is over, whether or not they have
already had the flu jab.
Also, these trials have mostly been carried out amongst healthy adults not at high risk from flu. But what's crucial is whether these medicines prevent serious complications in those most at risk. At the moment, this isn't known for sure.
If you're at high risk from flu complications, you should see your GP
for a free flu jab every year. If you have the symptoms of flu, it's sensible
to stay at home, rest and keep warm. It's also important to drink plenty of
liquids. Paracetamol may help ease symptoms too.
During a flu outbreak in a residential home for
elderly people, it may be worth residents and staff taking oseltamivir to help
prevent the infection spreading. And it may also be worth using in other
situations when flu could spread rapidly among people at high risk of serious
complications.
Note: Above information valid October 2003.
The
CA is independent of Government, the
medical establishment
and
the pharmaceutical industry.