How do people get flu?

Infection with influenza at various points in one’s life is inevitable, unless one happens to live in an extremely remote and isolated community.

Flu viruses are highly contagious and spread easily:

• In the general community, pre-school and school children are most likely to get flu. This is because children have little pre-existing immunity and are highly susceptible to the viruses, which they then bring home to their families. The highest infection rate is amongst school aged children younger than 10 to 12 years, and amongst people in old age homes.
• Closed communities, such as homes for the elderly, university campuses and military bases, are prone to outbreaks of influenza, which run their course over a few weeks.
• About 21 percent of people living in the same house as an infected child or adult, will contract flu, according to American studies.
• About 6 percent of people exposed to influenza outside the household, will get flu.
• About 30 to 50 percent of asymptomic people (those who are infected but show no symptoms) transmit the flu virus to others.

Home treatment – what you can do

This article will look at four different aspects of self-treatment: – Over the counter medication
- Self treatment: the natural way
- A recipe for colds, flu, thickened mucus and sinusitis
- Over-the-counter medication

Over-the-counter drugs treat symptoms of flu, but not the cause. It will not cure flu, but will relief some symptoms. If the flu is not very severe, these, and vitamins and herbal remedies should be sufficient. These medications can make life a more bearable during your illness.

Self treatment: the natural way

1. Stay in bed for a few days. You will recover a lot sooner. Listen to your body and rest a while.
2. Don’t exercise – it might strain your heart and lungs. Your body is fighting a viral war, so assist in the fight!
3. Drink lots of fluids – water, fresh fruit juice and vegetable juice or soup.
4. Dissolve eucalyptus or peppermint oil in boiling water and steam those sinuses. This will loosen the phlegm, while disinfecting the environment.
5. Other aromatherapy oils to try are lavender, grapefruit, rosemary and tea tree oil (put a few drops in a burner, or in the bath, or use in a carrier oil for a soothing back and shoulder massage).
6. Increase your intake of vitamin A to 10 000 IU’s (3mg RE activity) a day and vitamin C to 1000-2000mg a day in divided dosages. Once you are feeling better, return to your normal maintenance level.
7. Studies have shown that Vitamin C may reduce the severity and duration of symptoms.
8. Use medicinal herbs. Herbs like garlic, Echinacea and golden seal act as natural “antibiotics” against viruses, bacteria and even fungi. They are also decongestants that dry the mucosal linings in a gentle way. They do not have side effects. They actually support the immune system.
9. Double-blind placebo controlled studies suggest that Echinacea purpurea not only shortens the duration of colds and flu while making it less severe, it also actually stops a cold that is just starting.
10. Andrographis seems to be a promising treatment for colds. It is a shrub found in India and throughout Asia. It is sometimes called Indian Echinacea because it has much the same benefits as Echinacea purpurea. Although it is not certain how Andrographis works for colds, some evidence suggests that it stimulates immunity.
11. Try zinc lozenges to soothe a sore throat and zinc nasal spray for a runny nose. Make tea with fresh or dried sage leaves simmered in boiling water, with a teaspoon of honey, for a sore throat. You can also gargle with sage tea.
12. What about chicken soup? It may soothe a sore throat, clear clogged passageways, and hydrate a thirsty body. A new study suggests that chicken soup may contain a number of substances with beneficial medicinal activity. A mild anti-inflammatory effect could be one mechanism by which the soup could result in the mitigation of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections.

A recipe for colds, flu, thickened mucus and sinusitis:

Mix together a pinch of ginger, cinnamon, mustard, cayenne pepper and tumeric with a fresh clove of garlic (optional), a little lemon juice and honey in hot water – it makes for a delightfully spicy drink. You might even add a tot of brandy. Add a pinch of sage and thyme if the mucus is yellow or green. Drink this regularly until you feel better.

So the swine flu is here in the United States. Does this mean that we all need to build bomb shelters under our homes and hide in there until the epidemic passes and vaccines are passed out to all who want it? No, no…of course not. The swine flu-though possibly fatal if not treated-is just as harmful as the seasonal flu most of us get each year-this time it just may have created new strains to be prepared for.

Tips to prevent contracting the swine flu virus:

1. Wash your hands often- Though this may seem like a given, not everyone does. Yes, you may wash your hands after using the rest room, but this is not enough. You should be washing your hands every time you come in contact with someone or something touched by someone else.

2. Avoid touching your face- We all do it. We rub our eyes, our nose, itch our chin-whatever it is, know that you do it, and even if you are washing your hands constantly, you aren’t necessarily getting all of the virus germs off your hands. Be better safe than sorry and avoid touching your face.

3. Avoid breeding grounds- Of course, most of us must go out into public places. We work, grocery shop, exercise- we live; but there are places you can avoid that will greatly reduce your chances of getting the virus. For example, if you typically use a gym, opt to jog outside instead. If you take the train to work, bicycle, drive or walk.

Dengue fever is a flu kind of illness spread by mosquito bites. Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever are caused by any of the dengue family virus. This is also widely known as ‘Break bone fever’ due to the severe joint pain caused during the attack. Dengue can be diagnosed by blood test. The infected person as such cannot spread the infection but can be a source to spread it.

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is often complicated and severe. This rather can be termed as a complication dengue fever. Those bitten by the mosquito can get dengue fever and those already infected once if infected again are prone to higher risk of getting dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Dengue is an infectious disease causing frequent epidemics. There are various factors that contribute like lack of effective mosquito control, lack of public health systems to control the epidemic, the increase usage of plastic items which are the breeding sites of the mosquitoes.

Dengue is spread by the bite of an ‘Ades’ Mosquito. This mosquito bites the infected person and then bites someone else who is not affected thus transmitting the infection. These mosquitoes are active during the day time and spread the infection during day time. These mosquitoes live among human beings and breed in discarded tyres, flower pots, water stores etc.,

Dengue fever starts suddenly accompanied by headache, severe joint pain ,rashes, nausea and lack of appetite. The illness can last up to 10 days and the complete recovery could take about four to six weeks. Widely the dengue infections result in relatively mild illness however in some cases it may lead to the dengue hemorrhagic fever. In the complicated stage the blood vessels start to leak and cause bleeding through mouth, nose and gums. This is most prevalent among children and young adults. This stage requires close medical attention.

Treatment for Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic fever

As far as the treatment is concerned there is no specific course, However the affected person is treated with Paracetamol to bring down the fever. The person is usually adviced to drink lots of fluids. The infected person should be isolated until recovery from the rest of the family to prevent further infections.

Although there is no vaccine to prevent this epidemic certain preventive measures as specified below can be taken to control the epidemic.

Preventive Measures to control Dengue Fever

• Use mosquito repellents.
• discard all unwanted items getting gathered around the living area to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes.
• Keep the water stores clean and closed.
• keep yourself well covered when outside.
• Take prompt medical advice once fever starts.