Steaming can help with flu, image for illustration. Photo: ANP
EDE – General practitioners in Gelderland are inundated with questions about the flu epidemic. This is evident from a tour of Omroep Gelderland. Practices ask people not to call after two days of coughing. “Many make it more serious than it is.”
“We certainly notice a lot about the flu epidemic,” says assistant general practitioner Kleerekooper-Corsten in Elst. “Almost all the callers have the flu and complain of coughs and colds.”
According to her, people call pretty quickly with cold complaints. “Too fast,” she adds. “The doctor doesn’t really need to be called for a cold, but everyone does.”
Are people perhaps more attentive to symptoms due to the last corona years? “In any case, we notice that people who test negative for corona still call their general practitioner because they have complaints. And this while it really could be thousands of other viruses.”
‘more serious than it is’
“The flu is now common,” they also confirm to Ede’s Sarana General Practice. “But not specifically more than other years. We notice that people are symptom alert, because they call faster this year with questions. But many make it all a lot more serious for themselves than it is.”
General practitioner Hof van Cambridge in Doetinchem says he also gets a lot of questions from flu patients. “Sometimes we prick them to measure the inflammatory value. If it’s high, there’s a bacterial infection and you need to take the antibiotic. If the value is low, it’s a virus and there’s nothing you can do but get sick,” reports the assistant.
We notice that people sometimes call after two days of coughing
In practice, it is not necessarily busier than other years. “He’s always been very busy this time of year. But we notice that sometimes people call after two days of coughing, they really shouldn’t.”
When do you call the doctor?
The studios are particularly busy handling calls from people with the flu. For a runny nose, the doctor should not be called. From what time can calls be made?
According to practice, this is in the following cases:
- If the cough lasts more than three weeks.
- If the fever lasts more than five days.
- For lung disorders such as shortness of breath.
A single practice also recommends calling in case of severe fatigue or drowsiness. Study assistants also note that they also encounter many cases of bacterial lung infections. Severe shortness of breath is a symptom of this. So that’s something to talk to your doctor about.
Take its course first
For a flu or a cold it is recommended to get sick. How do you do it? “This varies from person to person,” notes Hof van Cambridge’s assistant. “Some people can walk a lot when they’re sick. We still recommend not just lounging on the couch. Steam also doesn’t hurt. We also recommend taking paracetamol. Honey helps, too.”
