What Is Influenza?

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a very common illness that can affect people of all ages in the community. This disease, which usually affects the respiratory tract, can spread easily. Transmission, spread and treatment are generally not very long, but in some cases they can cause serious problems. In this article, you will find information about what an influenza outbreak is, its symptoms, diagnostic methods, how it spreads, and answers to frequently asked questions about influenza outbreaks.

What Is an Influenza Outbreak?

Influenza is a viral infection that affects the respiratory tract. The virus that causes influenza can generally spread by inhaling air droplets from an infected person, and it can also spread when a person touches surfaces contaminated by someone carrying the influenza virus and then carries the virus to their respiratory tract. Because viruses frequently change their genetic structure by nature, they can cause a new influenza outbreak every year, as a different flu virus.

Anyone can catch influenza. Usually, with a short course of treatment, the respiratory tract infection can resolve within an average of 1–2 weeks. However, babies, children, older adults, and people whose immune systems are weakened against viral infections, or who have a disease or take medication that affects immunity, may experience the illness more severely and for a longer time. In such cases, attention should be paid to influenza infection and a health facility should be consulted as soon as possible.

What Are the Symptoms of Influenza?

Because influenza is a disease that affects the respiratory tract, it can usually present with symptoms involving the respiratory tract. Influenza-related symptoms can generally include the following:

High fever

Sore throat

Cough

Headache

Muscle aches

Nasal congestion

Runny nose

Watery or teary eyes

Extreme weakness and exhaustion

Nausea, vomiting

When these symptoms appear, due to the possibility of influenza, you should go to the nearest health facility without losing time. Treatment should be started as soon as possible with the protocol planned by a specialist physician.

How Is Influenza Diagnosed?

People showing influenza symptoms are first given a physical examination by a specialist physician at a health facility to assess their symptoms. To determine whether it is a viral infection, a nasal swab is taken and sent for laboratory testing. In addition, in cases where the illness is severe or immunity is low, different tests may be performed. A detailed laboratory result can confirm the presence of the virus and allow an influenza diagnosis to be made.

To get an influenza diagnosis, it is important that the laboratory results of the health facility you visit are reliable and quickly reported, and that radiology results, obtained by examining the lungs if they are affected, are also reliable and quickly reported, so that the disease can be diagnosed as soon as possible.

Is an Influenza Outbreak Contagious?

Because an influenza outbreak is caused by a viral infection, it is contagious. Influenza viruses can survive more easily in cold weather. For this reason, the period when this virus spreads is generally the cold winter season. Although this disease is common in winter, in other seasons it can also cause the virus from an infected person to spread to other people through the air or contact, especially in public transportation and crowded places.

How Does an Influenza Outbreak Spread?

An influenza outbreak spreads through the transmission of the virus that causes influenza. The virus can generally spread through the air and contact. Droplets released from the body of a person carrying the influenza virus, such as through sneezing or coughing, can easily pass to another person when they are inhaled. On the other hand, people who have the virus in their body can transmit it through body secretions carrying the virus, or generally through contact such as handshakes and hugs. To reduce the risk of transmission, hygiene rules should be followed.

What Is the Influenza Vaccine and Who Is It Recommended For?

The influenza vaccine is either a live virus vaccine with weakened virus or an inactivated vaccine. With the vaccine, the virus is introduced to the body so that the immune system takes precautions through natural means. In this way, if the influenza virus is encountered for any reason after vaccination, the immune system will already be active, so the disease may not appear at all or may be so mild that it goes unnoticed. For this reason, especially in babies, children, older adults, or people with diseases that suppress the immune system, vaccination is an important factor in avoiding catching an influenza outbreak.

Flu vaccination is recommended by specialist physicians, because of its protective effect, for all children over 6 months of age, older adults, people with chronic diseases, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Because the influenza virus can easily change its form, it can cause an influenza outbreak in different forms every year. For this reason, people who wish to get the influenza vaccine should renew their vaccination every year.

There is one point to pay attention to regarding the influenza vaccine. The influenza vaccine is not recommended for people who are allergic to the vaccine or to any of its ingredients. In addition, the influenza vaccine is processed using eggs during production. In this context, people with egg allergy, people in the first 3 months of pregnancy, and babies under 6 months of age should not receive the influenza vaccine.

What Should Be Considered in Influenza?

A person diagnosed with influenza should start treatment first. Diagnosis, treatment and medication recommendations should be obtained from a specialist physician. A person who has been diagnosed should isolate themselves to prevent spreading the infection to those around them. Medications determined according to treatment protocols should be used as recommended. At the same time, healthy nutrition, moderate water intake, adequate sleep and hygiene are important. In addition, rest and staying away from sources of stress are important steps in supporting the immune system.

What Is the Difference Between Influenza and Common Cold?

The common cold, like influenza, is an infection caused by a virus. However, the common cold generally presents with milder symptoms. Intermittent fever and mild upper respiratory tract complaints can be counted as signs of the common cold. In addition, the common cold generally does not cause the intense muscle and joint pain, exhaustion and general body aches seen in influenza; when they do occur, they are very mild. In this case, the treatment for the common cold is also milder than that for flu infection.

What Are the Types of Influenza Virus?

There are 3 types of influenza virus. They can be classified as A, B and C. The type C influenza virus is generally overlooked, as it has no effect on humans. The other two influenza viruses can show different characteristics. Type A influenza virus can cause moderate to severe illness. Type B influenza virus, on the other hand, has effects such as a generally milder course of the disease compared with type A. Because the immunity of people with type B influenza virus is low, it often causes illness in children.

Whichever type of influenza it is, visiting a health facility and a doctor for treatment should not be neglected.

Frequently Asked Questions About Influenza

The most distinctive feature of an influenza outbreak is high fever. Generally, the fever remains persistently high. When upper respiratory tract problems such as pain and congestion, etc. are added to high fever, influenza may be suspected. In the case of influenza flu, it is important to support the immune system so that the illness is short and passes with minimal symptoms. In this context, paying attention to healthy eating and getting adequate and balanced nutrition is important. In addition, for influenza, consuming colorful vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins and minerals is recommended by nutrition experts. Consuming the right amount of water is also important in supporting immunity. Herbal teas that soothe the upper respiratory tract may also be recommended. For the influenza vaccine, if vaccination is being given for the first time to babies and children aged 6 months to 9 years, specialists recommend two doses given one month apart. Children older than nine can receive a single dose. An inactivated vaccine may be recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women. The virus that causes the flu can be contagious before disease symptoms appear. Therefore, the risk of transmission begins before the illness starts. After symptoms begin, the duration of the virus's contagiousness may last about a week on average, although it varies depending on the course of the disease. An influenza outbreak is generally a disease caused by a virus that spreads through air and contact in crowded settings. For this reason, to prevent transmission by contact, wash your hands frequently, and if washing is not possible, keep hands clean with a disinfectant. Also, personal items should be used instead of shared items in common areas in crowded settings. To reduce the risk of transmission through sneezing or coughing in crowded places, you can wear a mask that fully covers the mouth and nose, or cover the mouth and nose with a tissue. By paying attention to these hygiene rules, the risk of transmission of the influenza virus can be minimized and people can generally be protected from the outbreak. Because the influenza virus spreads very easily and is highly contagious, people who are infected are generally advised not to travel. This is because, being infected, they can spread the virus to those around them. Since the virus spreads more easily to other people in public transportation, people diagnosed with influenza are generally advised not to travel, especially by public transportation.