Influenza, coronavirus infection and other acute respiratory viral infections (SARS) are in first place in terms of the number of people who get sick every year
Despite constant efforts to combat the causative agents of
influenza, coronavirus infection and other acute respiratory viral infections,
they still cannot be defeated.
Thousands of people die per
annum from flu complications.
This is due to the fact that viruses, primarily influenza
viruses and coronaviruses, have the ability to change their structure and a
mutated virus can infect a person again. So, a person who has had the flu has a
good immune barrier, but nevertheless, a new modified virus can easily
penetrate it, since the body has not yet developed immunity against this type
of virus.
For whom is the most dangerous meeting with the virus?
Especially difficult for children and elderly people to
carry the infection, for these age groups, complications that can develop
during the disease are very dangerous. Children get sick more severely due to
the fact that their immune system has not yet encountered this virus, and for
older people, as well as for people with chronic diseases, the virus is
dangerous due to a weakened immune system.
Risk groups
Children
People over 60
People with chronic
lung diseases (bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
People with
chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system (congenital heart defects,
coronary heart disease, heart failure)
Pregnant women
Medical workers
Workers in public
transport, catering
How does infection happen?
Infection is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy
person through the smallest droplets of saliva or mucus that are released
during sneezing, coughing a conversation. Contact transmission is also
possible.
coronavirus Symptoms
Depending on the specific type of pathogen, the symptoms can
vary significantly, both in severity and in combination options.
Temperature rise
Chills, general
malaise, weakness, headache, muscle pain
Decreased
appetite, nausea and vomiting are possible
Conjunctivitis
(possibly)
Diarrhea
(possible)
On average, the disease lasts about 5 days. If the
temperature lasts longer, complications may have occurred.
Complications
Pneumonia
Encephalitis,
Meningitis
Pregnancy
complications, development of fetal pathology
Exacerbation of
chronic diseases
The treatment of the disease is carried out under the
supervision of a doctor who, only after examining the patient, prescribes a
treatment regimen and gives other recommendations. The sick person must observe
bed rest, eat fully and drink more fluid.
Antibiotics
Taking antibiotics in the early days of the disease is a big
mistake. Antibiotics are not able to cope with the virus, in addition, they
adversely affect the normal microflora. Only a doctor prescribes antibiotics,
only in case of complications caused by the attachment of a bacterial
infection. It is dangerous and useless to take antibacterial drugs as a
prevention of complications.
A sick person should stay at home and not pose a threat of
infection to others.
Prevention
The most effective way to prevent influenza is to vaccinate
annually. The composition of the flu vaccine changes annually. First of all,
vaccination is recommended for those at risk. The optimal time for vaccination
is October-November. Vaccination of children against influenza is possible,
starting from 6 months of age.
Vaccines against most pathogens of acute respiratory viral
infections have not been developed.
Universal preventive measures
Wash your hands
often and thoroughly.
Avoid contact with
coughing people.
Stick to a healthy
lifestyle (sleep, healthy food, physical activity)
Drink more fluids
Ventilate and
humidify the air regularly in the room in which you are
Be less likely in
crowded places
Use the mask when
in transport or in public places
Avoid hugs, kisses
and handshakes when meeting
Do not touch your
face, eyes, nose with unwashed hands
Coronavirus treatment
1. First back to the beginning: what is a corona virus?
"Coronaviruses are common cold viruses," says
doctor and epidemiologist Anja Schreijer, head of general infectious diseases
at GGD Amsterdam. “Only there are also special forms of that virus. For
example, Sars and Mers are both diseases that are caused by a corona virus.
"
2. Where does all this fuss come from if it is "just" a virus?
That has to do with the speed with which the disease spreads
and that people die as a result. Worldwide, 83,868 people were infected with
the corona virus on Friday evening and 2867 died, spread over more than fifty
countries. And it is a new virus, for which there is no treatment or vaccine.
"The precise risks are not yet entirely clear and we do not know how the
spread will proceed," says Harald Wychgel, spokesperson for the National
Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
"People get scared of things they cannot control,"
Schreijer emphasizes. “That frightens them, but panic is not necessary now. For
example, it is still more dangerous to app in the car or drive on the highway
without a seat belt. ”
3. How can you prevent contamination?
With very basic things, RIVM and GGD emphasize, such as
washing your hands regularly. Not as fast, but twenty seconds long. Do not
forget the spots between the fingers and nails and dry the hands with a piece
of paper. Coughing or sneezing should go inside the elbow - and then wash the
clothes more often, of course. The virus spreads through cough and sneeze
drops. In short: good hygienic measures are sufficient. "And it is
important that you stay healthy," says Schreijer. Although that advice is
of course always valid.
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4. And the much-discussed mouthpiece?
That offers false security. The filter in the mouthpiece,
the consumer versions of which are not always closely connected, will open
temporarily during breathing. The virus can also penetrate through the tear
ducts. Stronger: it can increase the risk of infection if the mouthpiece is not
used properly. If it is not handled properly, there is still a risk of
infection. The GGD is clear: mouth masks are meant for professionals, they know
how to deal with them. Unless a doctor tells you to, a mouth cap makes no
sense.
5. Will I die if I become infected with Covid-19?
"It's a rough estimate, but Covid-19 is about as deadly
as a severe flu," says Greeper Schreijer. “In both cases, around 2 percent
of people die and 17 percent get serious complaints. A large proportion of the
infected people only get mild complaints and then there are people who don't
get any complaints. "
As with the flu, it is mainly the elderly who are already
weakened or people who already have something among their members who are most
at risk. People who are physically weaker are less resistant to the virus.
6. What are the symptoms with Covid-19?
The clinical picture of the corona virus, which is now
spreading rapidly and which has reached the Netherlands on Thursday evening,
can also be compared to that of a serious flu. People get a fever and have
respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath or they have to cough.
7. Can I do something about the virus once I have it?
Just like with the flu, it is a matter of sickness. There is
no cure. For the time being, according to RIVM, the chance that a Dutch person
in the Netherlands has a normal flu or other cold virus among the members is
"much greater". Anyone suspected of being infected with the corona
virus should stay at home and contact their doctor.
IMAGE ANP GRAPHICS
8. How do you distinguish Covid-19 from "normal" flu?
In order to distinguish the disease, a protocol has been
drawn up in collaboration with RIVM and GGD for people who think they are
infected. Those who suffer from the coronavirus symptoms and have been in a country or
region in which the Covid-19 virus was active in the past two weeks (such as
China, Singapore, South Korea, Iran and Italy) or have been in contact with
someone who is infected is advised to contact the doctor by telephone. He has
been instructed and first of all asks all kinds of questions. If there is a
suspicion of infection, the doctor immediately reports this to the GGD. Because
Covid-19 is a so-called A disease, a suspicion must be reported immediately.
Those who are infected can be obliged to temporarily stop
working and be isolated. You can "just" at home. The GGD will then
stop by to take nose and throat mucus. The slime samples go to Erasmus MC and
RIVM to be tested. The test result is usually within 24 hours. "The person
must be mandatory in isolation until the test result is known," says RIVM
spokesman Wychgel.
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