The flu season is here

| Friday April 30, 2010 00:00

As winter slowly makes its way into the Botswana weather chart; not only will furred coats and knee-length boots become the order of the day; so will sickly faces, feverish, endless coughs, sneezes and dripping noses. Flu. It pronounces winter - at once the season's best and worst companion.

Appearing most frequently in winter and early spring, the flu virus attacks the body by spreading through the upper and or lower respiratory tract.

Commonly referred to as 'flu,' influenza is an extremely contagious respiratory illness caused mainly by Influenza A and B but also the C viruses. According to Doctor Alfred Madigela, a general practitioner with Bongaka Clinic, flu is the commonest acute respiratory infection that affects mankind. Describing it as old as mankind itself, Dr Madigela says influenza describes a group of viruses that often inhabit the upper respiratory areas, namely, the oro-pharynx and naso-pharynx.

America's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention website says though both A and B are found in humans, Influenza A viruses are found in many different animals including ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses and seals while Influenza B viruses circulate widely only among humans.

Flu epidemics are seasonal, occurring mainly around winter and spring, with viruses being transmitted through the air by means of tiny aerosol pockets containing them. Dr Madigela says this is mostly through cough, sneezes or through direct contact with the infected nose or nostrils. 'Communal settings like schools and workplaces where people are clustered provide an opportune environment for the spread of flu, ' he explains.

Common symptoms of flu include chills, fever and rigors - an alteration between feeling hot and cold, muscular pains, joint pains, sore throat, coughing, a general feeling of discomfort and lack of taste or appetite. According to Dr Madigela, possible complications - especially among people with weakened immune systems like the elderly, children and people living with HIV/AIDS - may include pneumonia and encephalitis, which is a form of infection of brain tissues.

The infection is usually self-timing. Madigela said this is so, in the sense that it can last for some days or just stop on its own without medical intervention. 

Dr Madigela says there are different epidemics of flu, namely, bird flu and swine flu, the latest being last April's outbreak of a new strain of H1N1 influenza in Mexico City commonly known as swine flu that killed many people and left some debilitated. He says it is often best for people to prevent the widespread of flu through covering themselves when sneezing or coughing and that children should be advised to rest at home while they recuperate.

'Prevention is better than cure,' he says. Certain groups like the elderly, children and the immuno compromised should get their yearly dose of flu vaccines, which are made from dead viruses and cannot do any harm to humans. 'When a person is injected with one, their bodies respond by manufacturing the antibodies that will defeat the real virus if it attacks them,' he explains.

He dismisses as myth the common belief that if a person gets a flu vaccine one year and does not take in the next, they become prone to the infection. However, it is advisable to get the flu shot every year as the viruses change shape or form in order to confuse medications, he adds. Due to the viruses' high mutation rates, Dr Madigela says the effectiveness of these vaccines is also variable.

'Flu vaccines change in content and makeup every year because of this,' he points out. 'So a different vaccine is needed every year.'  According to Medline Plus, a website that provides consumer health information for patients, families, and healthcare providers, Influenza B does not change much over time while Type A can mutate rapidly.

'Therefore, a new form of the flu vaccine must be developed each year to protect people against the exact strains that are expected to be most prevalent,' says the site. There are two types of flu vaccines: a flu shot and a nasal spray. The flu shot contains dead (inactive) viruses, so it is not possible to get the flu from this type of vaccine.

However, some people do get a low-grade fever for a day or two after the shot as their immune systems gears up to recognize the virus. The flu shot is approved for people age 6 months and older. A nasal spray-type flu vaccine called FluMist uses a live, weakened virus instead of a dead one like the flu shot. It is approved for healthy people aged two to 49. The vaccine helps the lining of the nose fight off actual viral infections.

'It should not be used in those who have asthma or children under age 5 who have repeated wheezing episodes,' says Medline Plus.

Flu vaccines are generally given at the beginning of the flu season. But when exactly is the best time to administer these vaccines in Botswana? Dr Madigele says theoretically before March 31, though generally between April and May is okay.

Flu kills many people each year worldwide through its complications. It also presents a good business season for those who make a living from selling citrus fruits, especially oranges, in Botswana. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruit are rich in Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, the nutritional multi-tasker.

Vitamin C helps the body form collagen, a substance that helps hold cells and soft tissues together. It also boosts the immune system, activating antibodies and supercharging cells that help fight infectious diseases.

The flu fighting function of citrus fruits is particularly important in winter when nature's worst germs are abundant.It is crucial that when trying to hold off winter's best and yet worst companion, citrus fruits become one's best companion as well.