The North becomes cold, wary of seasonal flu and complications caused by the flu in the elderly

Cold weather VIrus influenza threats, threatening the health of the elderly

The North is welcoming the first cold air with low heat background.This is a favorable condition for many respiratory infectious diseases to develop strongly, typically the flu.

Elderly people, weakened immune systems should be easily encountered with flu complications such as stroke, heart failure, otitis media, pneumonia, sinusitis, urinary tract inflammation, brain edema, liver damage.

The World Health Organization (WHO) globally has about 1 billion cases of seasonal flu, of which 3-5 million cases are seriously ill and about 290,000-650,000 cases do not survive.According to statistics of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health), each year our country records 600,000-1,000,000 cases of seasonal flu, including a large proportion of elderly people like over 65 years old.Most recently, our country has recorded 4 cases in Binh Dinh death from influenza A/H1N1, mainly chronic diseases and many severe influenza pneumonia.

Studies show that the elderly with background diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, complications of the flu will be worse, the risk of death from the seasonal flu will be higher.According to the national infectious national infectious fund, in people over 65 years old, the flu increases the risk of heart attack by 3-5 times and the risk of stroke by 2-3 times in the first 2 weeks after infection.The risk is still high for months.

Another study in Canada, published on the US National Medical Library has shown that people over 60 years old have cardiovascular disease, when suffering from flu, the risk of death increased by 5 times.If the elderly has chronic pneumonia, the death rate when infection is 12 times higher.More seriously, the elderly suffer from both cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, the risk of death is 20 times higher when suffering from the flu.

Proactively prevent disease with vaccines

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccination is the best way to prevent influenza.Not only helps protect the elderly from the risk of infection, the flu vaccine also helps avoid complications caused by the flu.

A study over 25,900 people over 65 in Canada has shown that the influenza vaccine helps reduce 47% of the risk of death due to all causes, reduces the risk of hospitalization due to pneumonia, respiratory diseases, and andOther cardiovascular events such as heart failure, stroke ... in the elderly.

Statistics of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also noted that the influenza vaccination helps reduce 79% of people with diabetes.Patients with diabetes are vaccinated with a 24% lower mortality rate than non-vaccinated people.

Dr. BS.CKI BS.CKI Tong Thi Ngoc Cam, Deputy Director of Northern Medical, VNVC immunization system emphasized that the antigen structure of the flu virus will change year by year.Therefore, the previous year's influenza injection is not able to protect the body from the changing flu strains.Elderly people need to be injected with flu each year to maintain high protection of vaccines.

In addition, vaccines in general and influenza vaccines in particular need about 2 weeks to help the body produce adequate antibodies.Elderly people need to actively get vaccinated from the peak of the year at the end of the year so that the body is protected from the flu virus.

In addition, relatives and caregivers also need vaccinations of vaccines, including influenza vaccines, in order to protect themselves, avoid becoming a source of infection for the elderly, people with background disease.

To prevent respiratory illness in general, the doctor recommends that more people need to enhance exercise to improve health combined with other preventive measures such as environmental sanitation, personal hygiene, regular washingHands and throat with physiological saline, when coming to a crowded place, need to keep the distance, wear a mask ...