Flu

Infectious disease caused by one of three types of Influenzavirus. Transmitted via the airways, the flu causes clinical variable, usually characterized by intense fever, headache and sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, inflammation of mucous membranes and respiratory tract, cough, muscle aches and feeling cold or shivering. In general, the disease can last anywhere from three to seven days and the treatment is symptomatic, varying from case to case.
Treatment
There are four drugs approved for the treatment of influenza (amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir and oseltamivir). Only the last two drugs have activity against both virus types which usually cause illness in humans (influenza A and B). The effectiveness of these drugs, which are expensive, depends on early treatment (until the second day of demonstrations).
The antipyretics and analgesics can be used to control the demonstrations, mainly fever and pain, but are devoid of action against the influenza virus. The use of drugs in its formulation containing acetylsalicylic acid (ASA ®, Aspirin ®, Doril ®, Melhoral ® etc) is not allowed in children with influenza, the possibility of Reye's syndrome. This syndrome, a rare and highly lethal, is associated with the use of aspirin for viral infections in children and is characterized by hepatic and neurological.
The bacterial complications, when they occur, should be treated with appropriate antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus, a major cause of secondary infection in influenza, should always be included among the probable causes of bacterial pneumonia until proven (Gram sputum, blood cultures) with the security agent.
Prevention
Vaccination is the primary means of prevention against the flu. But it is very difficult to produce an immunizing against a virus with great capacity to mutate. You can think of the vaccine as a small trap: to change form, the virus can escape its groove and is no longer captured.
So a person can get sick and even if vaccinated? In the case of influenza, can. Still vaccination is important because, in addition to protecting against the most common types and variants, confers immunity against some of the forms assumed by the new virus.
There are two means by which viruses change their shape. The so-called gene rearrangement (antigenic shift, in English) only happens with the FLU A: By this process, genetic material from a variant of an animal and human mix, enabling the variant, previously only able to infect animals, to also affect humans. Since the deviation gene (antigenic drift, in English) happens in the three types of viruses that cause influenza: an error during virus multiplication within cells results in the alteration of some of their amino acids - chains of molecules that make up proteins. Although possible, it is not common that the changes caused by the diversion gene lead the virus to cross the species barrier. Unlike the changes caused by gene rearrangement, changes arising from the diversion gene are typically small.
Immunity is precisely the organism develops resistance to viruses that have changed through genetic drift. That is, even if not totally getting trapped in the mutant viruses have their movements restricted by the vaccine. The result? When there, the infection is always lighter than if the vaccine had not been taken.
Seeking to increase the effectiveness of influenza vaccines, the researchers also updated every year. Today, vaccines include variants of the H2N2 FLU h6N1 and FLU A and B - current virus in circulation worldwide.
In Brazil, is annually organized a national campaign of vaccination against influenza geared especially for over 60 years. Do you know why the elderly are the target audience of these campaigns? Because they are the ones that are easier for developing flu-related complications: the defense system of the body loses its vitality as we age, getting weaker to fight infections.
People with chronic heart, lung, kidney and HIV / AIDS should also get the vaccine, because they have weakened immune systems and the flu can worsen your health. Children up to two years as well, since the body's defenses are not yet fully formed at this age.
In times of epidemic, some simple precautions such as avoiding crowds and isolate patients also help prevent the spread and contain the flu outbreak.