In severe cases , influenza can lead to pneumonia , sepsis and multiorgan failure and hospitalisation . Death occurs mainly among the very young and very old
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THE HEALTH | NOVEMBER , 2023
| Column |
SEPSIS ALERT
BY ASSOC PROF DR TAN TOH LEONG
AND DR LIEW YEW KONG
EVER since the Covid-19 pandemic , there has been greater awareness about respiratory illnesses and their ability to wreak havoc on our way of life . No doubt , the mention of Covid-19 still strikes fear and apprehension as it is still fresh in the minds of many .
However , influenza is the old kid on the block , not to be taken lightly due to its ability to cause large-scale socioeconomic disruptions and deaths . Influenza was responsible for the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918-1920 which wiped out one-third of the global population and caused more than 20 million deaths at that time . Its variants also caused Swine flu and Avian flu , leading to death and culling of affected livestock and major economic loss recently .
INFLUENZA TYPES
Four types of Influenza virus are categorised into A , B , C and D . Influenza B can cause limited outbreaks of mild cough and flu while Influenza C and D are of little concern .
TRANSMISSIBILITY
Influenza A is highly contagious and causes more severe symptoms . A song popularised during the Spanish Flu era paid tribute to its transmissibility and deadliness went like this : I had a little bird , His name was Enza ; I opened the window , And in flew Enza !
Influenza A also has the ability to cause animal-to-human and humanto-human transmission . Some notable subtypes of Influenza A are the H1N1 and H5N1 virus .
INFLUENZA SYMPTOMS
The Influenza season starts during the Northern Hemisphere ’ s colder months of October to March . Symptoms of influenza usually begin around 2-4 days after being infected .
They include a sudden onset of high fever with body aches , runny nose , sore
In-flew-Enza
In severe cases , influenza can lead to pneumonia , sepsis and multiorgan failure and hospitalisation . Death occurs mainly among the very young and very old
throat , cough and headache . In the local context , these symptoms may mimic dengue fever . Influenza A is usually diagnosed based on clinical symptoms and a positive viral rapid test kit .
Most people recover from the symptoms within a week . However , in severe cases , influenza can lead to pneumonia , sepsis and multiorgan failure . Hospitalisation and death occur
Assoc Prof Dr Tan Toh Leong is a Senior Lecturer and Emergency Medical Consultant , UKM Medical Center , Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia ( UKM ) and President & Founder of Malaysian Sepsis Alliance ( MySepsis ) while Dr Liew Yew Kong is Consultant Emergency Physician , Head of Department , Columbia Asia Hospital Iskandar Puteri , Johor and Committee Member of MySepsis . mainly among the very young and very old .
Antiviral treatment is most effective for seasonal influenza when taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms . Given early , it can reduce the duration of symptoms by as much as 50 per cent .
PREVENTION AND VACCINATION
As influenza and Covid-19 share the same mode of transmission through air droplets , the standard preventive precautions are similar . Here is a list to remind ourselves again :
• Wash and dry your hands regularly
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• Practice social distancing
• Stay home when feeling unwell
• Avoid touching your eyes , nose or mouth . It is difficult to fully protect against influenza A due to its ability to cause antigenic drift . This is the ability of influenza to cause minor mutation on its surface protein , making it different from previous strains and bypassing our body ’ s immunity to detect and eliminate the virus quickly .
This is why yearly vaccination against influenza is recommended . The current active strain of the virus is isolated and used in the vaccine , constantly keeping our immunity database up to date . The vaccine may be less effective in older people , but it will make the illness less severe and reduce chance of complications and death .
Annual vaccination is especially recommended for :
• Pregnant women
• Children aged six months to five years
• People over age 65
• Those with chronic medical conditions
• Healthcare workers With global travels recovering back to pre-Covid-19 levels , a new pandemic may be right on our doorstep if we are not careful enough . We certainly do not want to be rhyming to ‘ in flew Enza ’! – The Health