Influenza left between 12,000 and 52,000 deaths between 2010 and 2020, according to figures from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the agency, more than 9 million to 41 million cases in the world, and from 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations in those 10 years.
It is a contagious respiratory disease caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and in some cases the lungs, which can lead to mild illness or even death.
On many occasions it is often confused with the flu, but according to experts, Influenza symptoms tend to be more intense and their onset more sudden.
“Influenza (flu) and the common cold are contagious respiratory illnesses, but are caused by different viruses”, according to the CDC,
The agency explained that “colds are usually milder than influenza. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose than people with the flu. Colds generally do not cause serious health problems. such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations. Influenza can have serious associated complications.”
It also noted that flu symptoms can include fever or feeling feverish/chilly, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, and fatigue (tiredness).
In the case of minors It manifests itself with symptoms such as: vomiting, diarrhea and nausea.
Meanwhile, cold symptoms are generally milder than those of the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose, fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, runny nose, headache, and fatigue. Colds generally don’t lead to serious health problems, according to the CDC.
However, young children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with chronic illnesses or weak immune systems are most at risk.
Treatments include rest and fluids so the body can fight the infection on its own. Likewise, you can resort to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers.
Special emphasis has been placed on influenza because it is a communicable respiratory disease, which it spreads more intensely during the months of high rainfall flow and climatic changes.
Taking into account the impact among the population due to the ability of the virus to change its shape, which affects the body’s defenses, intensive work is being done to create vaccines that effectively combat it.
Because of that, the CDC recommended that “everyone 6 months and older should get a flu shot all seasons, with rare exceptions. Different flu vaccines are approved for different age groups.”
In addition, they noted that “everyone who gets vaccinated should receive an influenza vaccine that is appropriate for their age and health status. For people under 65 years of age, there is no preference of one vaccine over another.
Although the vaccine should be given annually, from the 2023 season the advice is to use higher doses with adjuvants (pharmacological or non-pharmacological substances, used to aid in the treatment of a disease and given together with a parent drug) in people 65 years and older over standard-dose influenza vaccines without adjuvants.
In Colombia, priority is generally given to boys and girls from 6 to 23 months, then pregnant women after week 14, adults over 60 years of age, and the population diagnosed as at risk of suffering from some type of of complication.
– Reduce medical consultations for the symptoms of this disease. It is estimated that between 40% and 60% decrease, especially in rainy seasons and climate changes.
– In adults hospitalized with influenza, vaccinated patients had a 26% lower risk of intensive care unit admission and a 31% lower risk of dying from this virus relative to those who were not vaccinated, according to a CDC study.
– Influenza vaccine associated with lower rates of some cardiac events.
– Reduces children’s risk of severe, life-threatening influenza by 75%.
Specialists have warned that those who receive the vaccine may suffer some side effects, although mild and for a short time, including pain, redness and/or inflammation in the area where the vaccine was injected, headache (in low degrees) , fever, muscle aches, nausea and fatigue.
