The warning from virologist Fabrizio Pregliasco a few hours before the start of lunches, dinners, exchange of greetings and gifts
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There will be “around a million Italians who will spend the Christmas holidays in bed or dealing with seasonal ailments: frominfluenzathe real one that is only growing now, to colds, coughs and other respiratory viruses, to both Covid, with varied symptoms, more or less accentuated””. For everyone, the ‘principal’ recommendation is “don’t be heroes, don’t fill yourself with drugs until you eliminate the symptoms just to participate in dinner tables and family gatherings because you hurt yourself and above all others”. The warning, a few hours before the start of lunches, dinners, exchange of greetings and gifts, comes from the virologist of the University of Milan Fabrizio Pregliasco.
Large temperature changes favor viruses
Pregliasco, heard by Adnkronos Salute, recalls how the high number of sick people during this Christmas depends on a series of factors: «first of all because this year there has been a return to a ‘new’ normality which has led everyone to lower their guard compared to the past, and also because we have had large temperature changes which greatly favor these viruses”.
Ventilate the rooms, wash your hands and wear a mask with fragile people
According to the expert, these are “pathologies not to be underestimated”, even if, underlines Pregliasco, “we must enjoy this normality because we deserve it, and to ensure that this happens peacefully there are common sense recommendations to be respected : from ventilating the rooms in the house when there are many people gathered, to the essential rules of hygiene, hand washing and more, to using the mask when there are fragile people.”
No to self-prescribed antibiotics
As for ‘treatments’ for those who have already caught some virus, Pregliasco first and foremost recommends «rest as much as possible, and only for the fragile, where indicated, the addition of an antiviral by mouth. For others – he explains – you can take anti-inflammatory, anti-cough drugs etc. as long as you do responsible self-medication. Absolute no to self-prescribed antibiotics”, warns the virologist.
However, participating in Christmas conviviality puts us and others at risk
«And always respecting the prescribed dosages to attenuate the symptoms without eliminating them, because – explains Pregliasco – these drugs modulate the inflammatory response: if we eliminate the symptoms we play the game of the virus, in the meantime because, stuffed with medicines we do everything we shouldn’t do “, that is, we participate in the Christmas conviviality “which puts us and others at risk. Let us also remember that fever itself is a positive symptom of the body, of inflammation understood as an immune response to attack the virus. So, this doesn’t mean staying with horse fever, but it doesn’t mean being heroes by ignoring the disease either. Finally, if you have any symptoms you can wear a surgical mask which, as we have learned, protects others unlike the FFp2 which also protects us from others.”
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2023-12-23 15:02:13
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