KHSMSK

Nahrávám...

KHSMSK

KHSMSK

Home / Detail

Be ready, flu season is coming


Published: 8. 10. 2018

Every year since the beginning of the autumn months, we have seen an increase in cases of influenza and the outbreak of the epidemic, which is due to the very nature of the influenza virus and the cold outside environment

Influenza transmission occurs where is present a source of infection, an easy way of transmission and a susceptible individual.

The ideal environment for influenza viruses is damp and cold, with flu virus surviving even in very strong frosts.




Source: https://www.healthline.com/hlcmsresource/images/topic_c enters/Cold_and_Flu/stomach-flu-header.jpg

The spreading of the disease contributes to the accumulation of people, a weakened organism, a diet with lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, abrupt changes in temperature and poor hygienic conditions.

All year round, the Regional Public Health Authority of the Moravian-Silesian Region (RPHA) monitors the incidence of acute respiratory infections (ARI), focusing mainly on the cold cold months of the year when these diseases are on the rise. In the last year's ARI 2017/2018 season we have seen a significant increase in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARI), with 118 people being hospitalized for SARI, an increase of almost 40% compared to 2016. Last year, about 27% of SARI patients died.

Influenza is a systemic infectious disease that seriously affects not only the respiratory tract of a person, but also causes a general weakening of the organism. In particular, immune-compromised individuals, retired people, people with chronic illness (eg cardiac, asthmatics) obese people and strong smokers are a vulnerable group of people whose flu can cause a very serious course of the disease and endanger them. Despite strict adherence to personal hygiene, avoidance of mass actions, etc., we can get a flu disease, as it is an airborne illness that spreads easily through droplets from sick people even during just talking. The best way to prevent the flu is still vaccination.

Approximately 14 days take the body to create antibodies against the influenza subtypes that are contained in the vaccine, so it's best to vaccinate it before the flu season – now is the right time.

Available influenza vaccines are either trivalent (they contain three subtypes of circulating viruses) or tetravalent (they contain four subtypes of circulating viruses), thus providing a wider spectrum of protection. In the ARI 2017/2018 season in the Moravian-Silesian region mainly circulated the flu subtypes that were covered by the tetravalent vaccine.

Recommendation:

RPHA recommends especially immune-compromised people, retirees, people with long-term chronic illnesses, but also people working in larger collectives, for example, especially healthcare professionals, to vaccinate against influenza, and preferably the tetravalent vaccine.

Vaccination against influenza is fully covered according to § 30 of Act No. 48/1997 Coll. of health insurance, as amended, all insured persons over 65 years of age, insured persons after splenectomy or haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, insured persons suffering from serious chronic pharmacologically-resolved cardiac and vascular diseases, airways, kidney or diabetes and insured persons in health care facilities of long-term care providers, for in homes for the elderly, in homes for people with disabilities or in homes with a special scheme.

In other cases, vaccination against influenza is charged, but in the framework of preventive programs of insured persons, some health insurance companies (such as Revírní bratrská pokladna, Všeobecná zdravotní pojišťovna, Česká průmyslová zdravotní pojišťovna and others) offer its reimbursement.



Back