Influenza is going on a rampage again this season. Sufficient precautions are needed.
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the number of flu patients treated at about 5,000 medical institutions came to 54 per institution during the week of Jan. 14-20.
The increase in the number has not ceased since it surpassed the alarm level of 30 patients the previous week. The number of flu patients is estimated at 2.13 million across the country, close to the level of the previous season, when flu was at its most rampant in the past decade. Schools have been closed and classes canceled one after another.
Flu symptoms include a fever of 38 degrees or higher, headache and muscle pain. Children can develop convulsions and impaired consciousness. If you feel a chill, you had better go and see a doctor as soon as possible. In many cases, if you take medicine and rest for a while, you will be able to recover in several days.
You absolutely must not go outside when you are in poor condition. Flu virus was detected in a woman who died after falling from a station platform in Tokyo when she became unsteady on her feet. She is said to have complained about her poor health condition for several days before the fatal incident.
If people with flu go to work, they will spread infection to the people around them. It is indispensable to raise awareness at workplaces about precautionary measures such as ordering employees diagnosed with flu to take days off immediately.
The flu virus is transmitted as a result of inhaling airborne droplets that are spread by coughing and sneezing. Also, when the virus settles on surfaces such as doorknobs, it can get onto people's fingers and eventually into their mouths.
Extra care vital for elderly
Wearing a mask is important etiquette to curb the spread of the virus caused by coughing and sneezing. It proves effective in preventing lips from being touched unconsciously by virus-tainted fingers. This could be an effective safeguard measure for students preparing for entrance exams, who need to take all possible precautionary steps against flu.
Keeping in mind the need to take precautionary steps on a routine basis is more important than anything else. It is advisable to stay nourished and get adequate sleep to ensure immunity.
Mass flu infections at nursing care facilities for the elderly have become conspicuous since the start of this month. Multiple residents at a special nursing home for the elderly in the city of Maebashi and a nursing home for the aged in the city of Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture, have died after developing pneumonia and other flu-caused ailments.
Flu symptoms tend to become more serious for senior citizens with declining physical strength. Utmost care must be taken about precautionary measures, including thorough hygiene control, restriction of visitors and administering preventive medicines.
A new drug made its debut in the spring of last year. Taking a tablet once is said to be effective to cure the flu. So the new medicine is expected to become widely used. Compared with conventional cures that require five days of medication, the new drug is far superior in terms of convenience.
A matter of concern is that the new medicine tends to produce resistant viruses more easily than other curative drugs. Resistant viruses make it more difficult for drugs to work and prolong flu symptoms. The possibility cannot be ruled out that resistant viruses will spread widely.
Doctors need to carefully explain to patients such features of the new drug. Pharmaceutical companies are called on to further collect data and work to provide accurate information.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 26, 2019)
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