Beware the flu
If the Northern Hemisphere’s winter 'flu stats are anything to go by, South Africans will need to have their 'flu shots as soon as possible.
Over the last few months, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States, noted an unusually high number of severe respiratory illnesses among young and middle-aged adults.
Many of these cases were linked to the H1N1 virus strain (swine flu).
As the World Health Organisation (WHO) prescribes, the American and European flu seasons firmly indicate what we can expect as the South African winter strikes.
“Medical schemes and the National Department of Health always urge high risk patients to have their flu shots before the flu season hits,” says CEO of the Independent Community Pharmacy Association (ICPA) Jackie Maimin.
“However, with stats now indicating that more young adults and children are being diagnosed with these serious flu strains, it is recommended that everyone, from six months of age and up, should be vaccinated.”
Many medical schemes have started to cover flu vaccinations for all age groups, underlining the value of a shot and its beneficial qualities.
“Even for those without a medical scheme, the cost of a flu vaccination is minimal when compared to the medical expenses associated with treating influenza,” Maimin says.
“These strains of flu can be life-threatening and, as such, vaccination is one of the most cost-effective healthcare investments you can make this year.”
Contrary to the myth that the flu is not serious, it is a severe and life-threatening disease, killing over half a million people annually.
It is also a myth that the flu shot gives one flu, since the vaccine contains dead virus particles.
