Influenza

 

Influenza is a respiratory tract infection that is much more serious than a common cold.  It can begin very suddenly with high fever, tiredness, cough and runny nose.  It is very contagious and transmitted through droplets in the air, from close contact with someone unwell with it, or from someone who is sneezing and coughing.

 

Influenza may lead to severe symptoms with a high fever, headache and extreme fatigue that may last up to 2 weeks, which means several days of bed rest.  In children, influenza can be serious.  The elderly and “persons at risk” can have serious complications.

 

Influenza has a real impact on our society and anyone can catch it.  It occurs frequently in children and is responsible for school absenteeism.  In order to prevent influenza, we can get vaccinated before the flu season. 

 

There are 2 peaks for influenza each year, from January to March and from July to August.  This year, 2023-2024, the quadrivalent influenza vaccine will offer protection against 4 most active strains of influenza viruses, including the following:

 

•    an A/Victoria/4897/2022 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus;

•    an A/Darwin/9/2021 (H3N2)-like virus;

•    a B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria lineage) -like virus; and

•    a B/Phuket/3073/2013 (B/Yamagata lineage) -like virus.

Protection rates from vaccination are between 70% to 90% and the effect will last up to one year.  Children under the age of 9 years who have been immunized last year will need one injection, otherwise two injections will be needed and the second dose given 4 weeks after the first dose.