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Few things can make you uglier than the flu and the 2018-2019 season should be particularly brutal.
"The flu makes me nervous," said Dr. Mark Bustamante of Oak Street Health in Indianapolis. "Many Hoosiers die each year as a result of the flu or flu sequelae."
During the 2017-2018 season, more than 300 people died in Indiana, according to the state's Department of Public Health.
Each year also brings new strains of the virus, and this influenza season, which lasts from October to May, is no different.
In addition to fever, fatigue, cough and sore throat, new research shows that even a heart attack can also be caused by the disease.
A dead past
This year marks the centenary of the beginning of the Spanish flu pandemic. An estimated 675,000 Americans died as a result of the disease, which is one of the world's 50 million victims at least.
Howard County was one of the least affected counties. In mid-October 1918, 22,000 cases were reported to the state. As of December 31, there were 200 deaths in the county.
On October 7, 1918, a story in the Kokomo Daily Tribune advised readers that virtually all public venues, including churches, theaters and businesses, were closed.
"The pandemic was so severe that life expectancy in the United States dropped from about 12 years of 1917 to 18.6, to 36.6 years for men and 42.2 years for men. women, "according to the Centers for Disease Control. "There were high mortality rates among previously healthy people, including those between the ages of 20 and 40, which was unusual because flu usually strikes the very young and the very old more than young adults."
What is the flu?
Influenza is the result of a series of related viruses, called strains, according to the Centers for Disease Control [CDC].
The notable strain of the last influenza season was H2N3, considered particularly dangerous and with higher rates of post-exposure pneumonia.
Strain identification helps scientists create a vaccine to fight the spread of the flu.
"The composition of vaccines against other diseases can stay the same year after year. But because influenza viruses are constantly changing and viruses circulating among people often change from year to year, new influenza vaccines must be manufactured every year, "according to the US Food and Drug Administration. "To this end, scientists around the world are collecting samples to identify influenza strains most likely to circulate during the next influenza season."
These strains constantly change as they move through the population, making the response a mix of research, computation and guesswork. Much of the research is focused on strains emerging in Southeast Asia, where many strains develop before being transferred to the United States.
A vaccination is created from three or four strains that, according to scientists, will prevail during the next influenza season.
Each strain carries its own "flags", called antigens, that the immune system uses to recognize and destroy the virus. The idea of the vaccine is to expose the immune system to flags.
After an injection of influenza vaccine, the body responds to new antigens, including partially activating some of its defenses that may give the impression of the flu, such as muscle pain or sore throat.
This is what Bustamante calls the "developing" immune system, which is why some people notice mild flu-like symptoms after injection or pain near the shooting site.
"Personally, that's what I feel when I get the flu shot every year," he said. "I take that as a good sign."
Complications
Although death is an extreme complication of the flu, especially among the elderly and young children, it can include a variety of other factors.
"Sinus and ear infections are examples of moderate complications of influenza, while pneumonia is a serious complication of influenza that can result from an infection with the flu virus alone or from an infection. co-infection with the flu virus and a bacterium ", according to the CDC.
"Other serious complications that may be triggered by influenza include inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle tissue, and organ failure," according to the CDC. "Infection with the flu virus from the respiratory tract can trigger an extreme inflammatory reaction in the body and lead to sepsis, the body's reaction putting the patient's life at risk."
Dr. Peter Nechay, a cardiologist at St. Vincent Health, said pneumonia was a particular concern. After fighting the flu, the body is sometimes weakened to the point that pneumonia sets in, he said.
That's why Nechay encourages its at-risk patients to also be immunized against pneumonia. Unlike influenza vaccine, it is normally given every five years.
Even the heart can be touched. New research shows there is a link between flu and heart attacks, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"We found that you were six times more likely to have a heart attack during the week following the flu diagnosis," said Dr. Jeff Kwong, author of the study, epidemiologist and family physician at the Institute for Research in Evaluation Science and Public Health Ontario. Canada, said on national public radio.
Heart attack?
An influenza infection involves a large amount of inflammation in the body, said Dr. Anil Ranginani, a cardiologist at Howard Community Health in Kokomo. This inflammation can affect the stability of naturally occurring plaques in the circulatory system. If one of these plates breaks, its lumps can clog the arteries and cause a heart attack, he said.
Nechay has described the problem of flu and heart attacks as an "Achilles heel".
"We see people all the time who have a heart attack and are unmasked by another disease," he said.
In addition, a weakened heart or damaged circulatory system can worsen if you are stressed.
"The flu is not the only type of stress, but it's something we can prevent," he said.
Dr. Jared Miller, pediatrician of St. Vincent Medical Group in Kokomo, said the vaccination was not perfect and that some people might still get the flu. However, with the vaccine, most people will have less severe symptoms and a shorter recovery period.
Prevention of flu
"People do not realize that family, close friends, people with whom you go to church, you protect them when you get vaccinated," said Karen Long, director of the department's immunization department. of Howard County Health.
Last season was the worst she had seen in the department for 18 years. "The flu season was long and long – many people were sick," she said.
The goal is to ensure that as many people as possible are vaccinated, she said, so that the disease has no chance of being implanted in the community, unlike to what it was last season.
She said the health department had been booked to conduct vaccination clinics in health fairs, health care facilities and other places. Some companies even offer flu shots on the spot.
Although organizations such as the health department and hospitals react, the general public can help prevent the spread of the disease.
One of the most important things to do is also the most basic: Wash your hands regularly with soap and water.
The proper procedure is to wash your hands with running water with soap for 20 seconds. Dr. Miller said the best way to do this is to go through the ABC. After reaching the letter "Z", it's time to dry your hands.
The use of hand sanitizer is also helpful. For this, the proper procedure is to cover your hands with the disinfectant and then let it dry completely.
As a pediatrician, Miller said it was important for parents of young children to be vaccinated because children under 6 months could not receive the injection, while younger children might not have the shot. not yet received the injection.
"Do your part and protect them too," he said.
Tonia Gaines, a nurse from Miller's office, gave hundreds of vaccines this year, especially to children.
She suggested that parents think about how their children will react to getting vaccinated. For some children, this may mean explaining in advance. For others, it may be best to delay it just before getting vaccinated.
"Distraction is a great tool," said Gaines. "It may mean bringing a stuffed animal or asking the child to look at pictures on a cell phone."
The CDC recommends that immunizations begin at the age of 6 months and continue to be vaccinated each year.
Despite decades of effective vaccines, there are still people who do not want to be vaccinated.
Kate Mills, Clinical Nurse Specialist at Howard Community Regional Health, said that much of the resistance came from a poor understanding of vaccination and illness.
She has heard people say that they have never had the flu before, but that does not bode well for the future, she said. In addition, they may have already had a mild case and considered it nil.
Sometimes people blame the vaccination for later contracting the flu.
But Mills and the doctors all say the same thing: get vaccinated!
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