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| A woman gets her child an influenza shot at a hospital in this Aug. 27, 2017 file photo. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly recommended people to get vaccinated as flu is still active especially among young children. /Korea Times file |
By Bahk Eun-ji
The health authorities have highly recommended that the public get influenza vaccinations immediately as the country is still seeing flu activity. Typically, flu season peaks between December and March with the highest incidence occurring in young children and adolescents.
The number of patients suffering from influenza in the country has more than doubled over the past month. According to data from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), 49.8 out of every 1,000 outpatients who visited doctors in the first week of January had flu-like symptoms.
Among the patients, 113.2 out of every 1,000 outpatients were aged 7 to 12.
The KCDC said the number of flu patients has been on the rise since last November. Children between 7 and 12 years olds are especially vulnerable as many of them have not been vaccinated yet, and have more contact within their peer group.
In this year's influenza virus monitoring, the KCDC said 596 cases were detected from Sept. 1 in 2019 to Jan. 4 this year. Among them, 430 cases were Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (H1N1) and 147 were subtype H3N2 (H3N2), while only 19 or 3.2 percent were influenza B/Victoria virus.
The KCDC confirmed that the H1N1 and H3N2 viruses are not resistant to Oseltamivir-based antiviral drugs. Oseltamivir is sold under the brand name Tamiflu, an antiviral medication, used to treat and prevent influenza A and B.
"Although it takes around two weeks for the vaccination to take effect, it's never too late to get the shot for children especially under 12," Jeong Eun-kyung chief of the KCDC, said in a statement.
"Flu vaccination is the most effective way to stay healthy during winter," Jeong said.
There is a common misconception that a person who has caught flu before doesn't have to get vaccinated as they have immunity from the flu virus. Although the person has been immunized, there are possibilities of catching other types of flu because there are a large number of different viruses.
What is influenza A?
Influenza, also known as the flu, is a contagious viral infection that attacks the respiratory system. The viruses that infect the human body can be classified into three main groups: A, B and C. Type A influenza infection can be serious and cause widespread outbreaks and disease.
Scientists divide influenza A into two further subtypes based on the proteins that live on the surface of the virus. These proteins, hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N), help the virus to attach to cells in the body, causing the infection.
There are 18 different H subtypes in influenza A that run from influenza H1 to H18. There are 11 N subtypes, ranging from N1 to N11. Each subtype also has different strains that influence the virus further.
Common symptoms of type A infection can be confused with other conditions, while some mild cases of the flu can be resolved on its own without serious symptoms. However, severe cases of type A influenza can be life-threatening.
The KDCD said the flu typically occurs with a sudden onset of symptoms, while colds usually develop slowly. Flu usually seems like a common cold with a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat, so many people confused flu as a severe cold but the two diseases are different.
The type A flu comes with a sudden high fever over 38 degrees Celsius, headaches, chills and sweats, and serious pain in the muscles and joints. A patients could die from developing complications in serious cases, so elderly people and young children who have compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable.
People who are at high risk for complications including those who are more than 65 years old or who have weakened immune systems should seek immediate medical help.
Influenza A symptoms may occasionally resolve on their own, but if symptoms persist for more than a week without improvement, the KCDC urged patients to visit a doctor immediately.
Treatment and prevention
To treat the type A flu, doctors usually proscribe antiviral medication to fight the infection. Common antiviral prescription include zanamivir, peramivir and oseltamivir. The three medications reduce the ability of the influenza virus to spread from cell to cell and slowing down the infection process.
Vaccination cannot prevent the flu 100 percent, so maintaining daily hygiene is crucial to prevent viral transfer and infection. The virus can be transmitted by air or orally, but most cases are transmitted through hand contact or sharing tools with an infected person.
The KCDC, therefore, says maintaining hand hygiene is the easiest and most important method to prevent infection.
"Washing of hands is the easiest and most effective way to prevent various infectious diseases," Jeong said.
