flu in the US
Introduction
Recently, the US CDC released data revealing the number of deaths caused by flu in the US. The number of confirmed deaths from the flu so far this season is 105. The disease has killed children alone. The deaths occurred during the 2019-2020 flu season, which starts around October ends around March or April. Infectious disease specialists identified the flue to be influenza B since it mostly affects children. This may be the reason why 105 children have died so far, in which the largest number of deaths in a season is caused by the flu. According to Dr. William Schaffner, the treatment of the flu this year is complicated since the timeline is different from the rest of the years.
Epidemiological Concepts
The reasons that may have contributed to more deaths from the flu this season include:
- Due to the prolonged time of the flu season, it is witnessed that there is a decrease in the number of influenza B cases, but the H1N1 cases have increased. H1N1 affects children despite being a subtype of influenza A which is common in adults. Thus, other deaths could have been accounted for by H1N1.
- Secondly, the symptoms for influenza B are not clear in children. Since the symptoms may be unexpected or confused for the common cold, parents tend to delay seeking care. When the time between infection and seeking medical care is long, there are high chances of death than when care is sought as soon as the infection occurs.
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- Influenza B may be treated using antivirals. But since the flu causes vomiting, it affects a patient’s ability to take the medication in the form of antivirals. Hence, its treatment process may be difficult, which increases the possibilities of death occurring.
- Finally, many deaths may be a result of the long flu season. Dr. Arnold Monto of the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health highlights that the current flu season is longer than usual.
Symptoms
Influenza B is associated with three categories of symptoms. There are body, respiratory, and stomach symptoms.
The body symptoms of the flue are: extremely high body temperatures, weakness, chills, and body aches.
Respiratory symptoms include coughing, sore throat, congestion, and running nose. In most cases, the respiratory symptoms occur at the onset of the flu.
Finally, the stomach symptoms are loss of appetite, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain.
Prevention Measures
The CDC suggests prevention measures on children aged between 6 months and 17 years. Experts believe that vaccination will effectively prevent deaths from the flu. Influenza vaccine reduces the chances of child deaths due to influenza strains. Children who are not vaccinated against influenza are more likely to die than those who are vaccinated. Even healthy individuals should receive the vaccine. Although the vaccine may not completely prevent the flu, it reduces the severity of the illness.
Conclusion
I believe that apart from influenza vaccination, seeking immediate medical attention is necessary to reduce the adverse effects of the flu. Since children are the most affected, parents need to closely monitor their children for the flu symptoms, especially during the flu season. In case the symptoms mentioned above persist, it is crucial to seek medication. For adults, home medication such as drinking plenty of water and having more sleep time may be used. The main essence of treatment is to avoid further complications and to shorten illness time.