Doctors warn ‘flu’ is more dangerous than you think
‘Influenza’, a pilot of more severe disease and complications ‘Pneumonia – heart attack – acute myocardial infarction – stroke’ can lead to severe illness or death.
From the past news, it can be seen that there are working-age patients who have had influenza and have to go to the hospital, Assoc. President of the Foundation for the Promotion of Influenza Education revealed that this year 2023, when entering the rainy season Will begin to see an increase in influenza outbreaks over the past 3 years, during which COVID-19 dominated the world, causing people to stay at home. be careful of hygiene There is less chance of influenza transmission. Plus during that time people were away from influenza vaccination. makes the body immune But the influenza virus is still sparsely circulating. When the situation of the outbreak of COVID-19 start back to normal resulting in more clearly more influenza patients by the rate of people who have the flu and come to the hospital About 15% (as of early August 2023) of people with influenza were diagnosed with influenza.
Assoc. Prof. (Special) Dr. Tawee Chotpittayasunon President of the Foundation for the Promotion of Influenza Education revealed that Thailand is located in the mid-latitude between the northern and southern hemispheres. resulting in an outbreak of influenza throughout the year during which the outbreak is heavy in the rainy season From June to October and will spread again during the cold weather from December to February, but when there is less outbreak from statistics during the epidemic 20-30% of patients who come to the hospital with the flu are found to be influenza, or in some years, up to 40% of patients who have the flu come to the hospital.
influenza It is more likely to infect children than adults. 20-25% of 100 children a year become infected and suffer from influenza. About 10% are found to be influenza by an important factor of the influenza epidemic. In addition to the rainy season, the influenza virus survives for a long time. Another factor is that schools are open and students will be able to spread the infection to each other. Causing the child to carry the infection to family members especially the elderly grandparents at home which the elderly group, if infected There is a chance that the disease will be severe. To the point of having to go to the hospital or if it is very severe, it can even lead to death. especially the elderly with various congenital diseases According to statistics, Severe influenza patients in the ICU found that the number of deaths was at 10% of patients in the ICU.
Assoc. Prof. (Special) Dr. Tawee Chotpittayasunon described the danger that ‘Flu is pilot’ is a pathogen that causes respiratory disease. It itself causes some severe, fatal diseases, but not many. But the one that comes aggravated Most of the bacteria that settle in the throat are more dangerous. make the disease more severe By the time we have influenza, the airways that go down to the lungs are infected and inflamed. like a rough path cause the bacteria that cling to the throat But when the path is rough, bacteria can climb down to the lungs. pneumonia cause death or may spread into the blood causing bacterial infection in the bloodstream Causing small blood clots in different places aggravate heart disease From normal to mild heart disease or if clots in the blood vessels of the brain It can cause a stroke (stroke) or paralysis, paralysis, therefore, influenza is the beginning of the disease, which is severe and may have many more serious complications. especially among those with congenital disease When influenza is even more an adjunct, people with heart disease may have acute myocarditis. have a heart attack or very old people When it’s influenza, it slows the blood supply. can cause arteriosclerosis Therefore, it is a source of danger from diseases of the blood vessels that go to the heart and brain.
elderly group have characteristics may be called ‘Death risk group’ because the chance of death is higher than other age groups. because if sick with influenza The complication that may follow and cause the highest severity is ‘pneumonia’, followed by heart attack, acute myocardial infarction. And stroke (stroke), the public should prevent infection with influenza. which natural defenses may be able to prevent some but is difficult This is because influenza is an infectious disease that can be transmitted before symptoms appear. Therefore, the best and most cost-effective prevention method It has been studied for a long time, that is, ‘vaccinations’ make the body immune to be able to deal with the disease over time. The influenza vaccine has been developed for over 80 years, so there is confidence in its effectiveness and safety. A four-strain influenza vaccine is currently available.
Currently, Thailand has two types of influenza vaccines:
1. Standard dose influenza vaccine (Standard Dose), which will have both 3 strains and 4 strains, can be injected from 6 months of age up to the elderly (15 micrograms per 1 strain per dose).
2. High dose influenza vaccine (High Dose) for the elderly 65 years and over* can be injected in both the elderly with normal body and the elderly with congenital disease which only contains 4 strains (60 micrograms per strain per dose)
Availability of a high-dose influenza vaccine For the elderly, 65 years and over, because they are a group with weak bodies. cause a low immune response to the vaccine From the study, it was found that the elderly over 65 years old received a standard dose of vaccination. The results of the study revealed that Some elderly people have poor immune system. Unlike other age groups Therefore, a study was developed by increasing the dose of each strain to 60 micrograms per strain. The results showed that it was able to reduce symptomatic influenza infection higher than the standard type (15 micrograms per strain). strains) by 24% and can also reduce hospitalization from influenza and pneumonia by 64.4% higher than the standard dose and reduce mortality from influenza by 48.9% higher than the standard dose, but there may be a slight increase in side effects. There may be more pain at the injection site than the standard dose. However, there is high confidence and safety. Because high-dose vaccines have been used in European countries, America for more than 10 years and have used more than 200 million doses.
* Recommendations for vaccination in adults and the elderly by the Infectious Disease Society of Thailand, 2023
Locations for the 2023 influenza vaccination service include:
1. All hospitals in the National Health Security System (NHSO) Gold Card Providing 3 types of vaccination services for free! For 7 risk groups, including children aged 6 months – 2 years, people with chronic diseases, people with mental retardation, thalassemia, obesity, elderly people over 65 years old, and pregnant women over 4 months old.
· All government hospitals / Sub-District Health Promoting Hospitals / Public Health Service Centers private hospital or private clinics participating in the service
Only in the Bangkok area (7 risk groups can book a channel queue ‘Health Bag’ on the Wallet app from June 17 – August 31, 2023)
2. Social Security Office For the insured under Section 33 and Section 39, aged 50 years and over, they can receive a free influenza vaccination once a year at a medical facility specified by the Social Security Office. For more information, please contact the hotline 1506, available 24 hours every day.
3. For those who are not in the 7 risk groups or the general public from the age of 6 months can receive the 4-strain influenza vaccination service from both private hospitals. government hospital or medical clinic by being responsible for their own expenses
Those interested can study information about influenza. and various infectious diseases For more information, please visit the Foundation for the Promotion of Influenza Education website.
2023-08-21 04:44:51
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