Starting from September 15, we can get vaccinated against the flu, doctors announce. But, they draw attention, this season we can also get sick with respiratory viruses and we should know the difference between the two conditions and how we can tell what “hit us”.
Starting from the middle of September, we can get vaccinated against the flu. Photo source: archive
The flu, says the specialist, is not just any virus. It is a respiratory virus, but with a general effect on the body. “Some authors even call it the ‘Silent Killer.’ The reason? The diagnosis of influenza does not appear on the death certificate. But, in the case of elderly people, chronically ill or with various comorbidities, especially heart diseases and respiratory diseases, the flu is what leads to the destabilization of the underlying disease, complicates it, aggravates it, and this often leads to death” , explained Emilian Popovici, vice-president of the Romanian Society of Epidemiology.
But what is the difference between the flu and a simple respiratory virus, anyway? Because both conditions are caused by viruses. “Many people confuse them because the symptoms are broadly similar. But there are also major differences. What you need to know is that with the flu, the fever is 40 degrees, sometimes even higher, with a sudden onset. In respiratory viruses, the fever is much lower, up to 38 degrees, and appears progressively. Then, flu sufferers have persistent headaches, muscle and joint pain that occur constantly. In respiratory viruses, these symptoms occur less often and are transient. They disappear after one, two days”explained the doctor. But that is not all. “The state of weakness felt in the flu, the state of asthenia is a rule and follows the flu infection, after the acute form of the disease. We are talking about a state of fatigue that can even last up to a month.” says the doctor.
As for the cough, in the case of the flu it is, most of the time, dry: “In flu we have a dry, persistent cough. But during its acute evolution, it can turn into a productive cough. In virosis, however, the cough does not appear so often and is transient”.
Then let’s not forget the chills, the doctor also draws attention: “The chills in the flu are almost constant. In viroses, however, because the patient does not suffer from a very high fever, he does not even have chills”.
The specialist touches on another aspect: in the case of small children, among the flu symptoms are also certain digestive symptoms. “It can be vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain. And parents should watch these symptoms, because they make the difference between the flu and the virus,” he explains.
As for Covid, things get a little more complicated. But, even so, we can tell, by the symptoms, if we have SARS-CoV-2 or another condition.: “To avoid any doubt, if we have flu symptoms, we must first test ourselves against Covid. If the test comes out positive for Covid, we really have Covid. If the test is negative, we definitely have the flu. Simultaneous illnesses with the common influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 are very rare. Se can also do a serological test for the flu”.
But, says Prof. Dr. Emilian Popovici, the differentiation that can be made during the evolution of the disease is interesting: “Influenza virus incubation is up to two days, while SARS-CoV-2 incubation is from 2 to 14 days. Moreover, in flu patients the symptomatology is greatly alleviated by the administration of medication, and in Covid patients respiratory or systemic complications should occur, those coagulopathies that we do not often encounter in flu. But also multisystemic inflammatory syndrome. Autoimmune vasculitis, for example.”
Beware of complications
And we should pay attention to the complications of the two diseases because they are different. Complications rarely occur in respiratory viruses:I mean people without other associated diseases. In flu, however, complications are quite common: for example, pneumonia, which is initially viral, but which can lead to superinfection with germs such as Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae or hemolytic haeptococci. When the cough turns from a dry cough into a productive cough, we can think of a bacterial infection“.
Another complication of the flu is respiratory failure in people with asthma, exacerbation of asthma, otitis and sinusitis. However, the influenza virus, as in the case of SARS-CoV-2, can affect any organ.
Let’s not forget the complications that can occur in pregnant women who are prone to bacterial or fungal infections. And that’s because their immune system is physiologically suppressed, due to the pregnancy itself, and it’s also weakened by the flu virus. And one more aspect: even the fetus can be affected. In the first trimester of pregnancy the woman may suffer an abortion, and in the last trimester the fetus may suffer a neurological or cardiac damage. “There are a thousand reasons to take precautions against the flu and the vaccine is the most effective way to stay away from the disease“, says the doctor.
In which situation we could face a flu pandemic
What strains could be circulating this year and what is the risk of a pandemic? “Nu know, no one can predict what will happen. However, it should be known that type A viruses generally have an epidemic evolution, and can generate, when they recombine, a new virus and pandemics. Influenza type A virus can evolve epidemically but at certain time intervals when recombinations occur either between two A viruses, or between A virus and an avian virus, or as happened in 2009 when it was an avian virus component, one of porcine virus and one of human virus“, explained the specialist. The type B virus, continues the doctor, also evolves epidemically, but we are talking about regional or local epidemics. Type C virus causes isolated, sporadic cases of the disease. In conclusion, no one can predict the occurrence of a future pandemic
Vaccination is the only way to protect us. And this year, Prof. Dr. Emilian Popovici says, the flu vaccine is one with a trivalent component. “Last year it had a four-component vaccine: two A and two B viruses. This year it was noted that one of the B strains is inactive and it was dropped. Basically, now we will find vaccines with three components in the pharmacy: two A viruses and only one B virus”.
