What’s the situation in Sichuan when swine flu strikes？ How to prevent it？

● A stream situation in our province

The monitoring data show that the number of influenza cases and the number of influenza positive specimens in our province have shown an obvious growth trend in the past two weeks, characterized by the prevalence of influenza A (H1N1) and the co-prevalence of influenza A (H3N2) virus.

● The difference between influenza A and the common cold

After catching swine flu, it usually manifests as fever, runny nose, dry cough, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, fatigue, etc. The main difference from the common cold is that swine flu has an acute onset and a high body temperature, and generally has a sudden high fever of 39 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius. The systemic symptoms such as fatigue, myalgia and headache are heavier, but the cough is not obvious.

On March 1st, Chengdu CDC announced that the intensity of influenza activity has been on the rise recently, especially in schools and other crowded places. According to the monitoring data of the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of influenza cases and the number of influenza positive specimens in our province showed an obvious growth trend in the past two weeks, characterized by the prevalence of influenza A (H1N1) and the co-prevalence of influenza A (H3N2).

Many children with swine flu have appeared in the emergency department and pediatrics department of many hospitals in our province. Parents have some worries and doubts-how to judge that children have swine flu? Can I go to school with swine flu? With these questions, the reporter walked into three 3A hospitals and provincial CDC and interviewed relevant experts and doctors.

visit

The number of children with swine flu has increased in many hospitals, but it can only be regarded as seasonal epidemic so far.

"Today, I received 40 children, and no less than 15 children were diagnosed with swine flu." At about 15: 00 on February 27th, Li Zhiyao, deputy chief physician of Pediatrics of the Fourth People’s Hospital of Sichuan Province and Huaxi Chunxi Hospital of Sichuan University, was sitting in the clinic. During the outpatient service, a parent took his child into Li Zhiyao’s clinic. More than 10 children in his class have been diagnosed with swine flu.

"20% to 30% of people who come to the emergency department these days are children with swine flu." Xie Cheng, director of the emergency department of the Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital and deputy director of the Emergency and Critical Care Medical Center, admitted that the number of sick dolls has increased significantly since last Friday.

"There is a high probability of encountering children with swine flu recently, and many children who see the doctor are classmates in the same class." There are similar feelings, as well as Yu Bo, director of pediatrics and chief physician of the 363 Hospital.

A number of doctors have been treating children with swine flu since the middle and late February. Li Zhiyao analyzed that one of the reasons for the increase of children with swine flu is that it is in the high season of respiratory infectious diseases, and another reason is that the overall situation of epidemic prevention and control is improving, and relatively few people wear masks.

Although the number of children with swine flu has increased, many doctors do not feel that there is a significant difference from previous years. "Compared with 2019 and before, the number of children with swine flu is similar, and it can only be considered seasonal epidemic so far." Cai Yan, deputy director and chief physician of Pediatric Medicine of Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital, said.

doctor’s advice/instructions

In these four cases, you need to seek medical advice, and it is recommended to get flu vaccine every year.

"H1N1 is a common seasonal flu, and most patients are mild and self-limiting diseases, but we should also be vigilant." Cai Yan reminded that parents should pay attention to protection, especially for children who are at high risk of influenza, such as children under 5 years old, or have basic diseases such as asthma, kidney disease, malignant tumor, low immune function and obesity. A stream can be complicated with pneumonia, nervous system and other multi-system damage.

What happens to the child, should I go to the hospital to diagnose whether I have swine flu? Cai Yan listed four situations: when the child has fever and the body temperature is above 39 degrees Celsius, the body temperature of the oral antipyretic does not drop; The child has poor spirit, lethargy or irritability, headache and fatigue; The child has vomiting and diarrhea; When a family member or school has flu or suspected flu patients, it is recommended to go to the hospital for examination and diagnosis, and then take oseltamivir orally according to the doctor’s advice.

How to tell if a child has swine flu? What’s the difference between swine flu and the common cold? Xie Cheng said that children usually have fever, runny nose, dry cough, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, fatigue, etc. The difference from the common cold is that the onset of swine flu is more acute and the body temperature is higher, fatigue, myalgia, headache and other systemic symptoms are heavier. "A stream will suddenly have a high fever of 39 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Celsius, with sore throat and obvious muscle pain, but the cough is not obvious." Yu Bo added.

Xie Cheng suggested that the vast majority of children with influenza A are mild, and they can be treated with antiviral drugs (oseltamivir), antipyretics (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc.) and cough drugs (dextromethorphan, etc.) at home, which generally improves significantly in 3-5 days. However, he reminded that oseltamivir can be used for full-term newborns over 2 weeks old to adults. The common side effects are nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, etc., and there are rare mental symptoms. Therefore, during the medication, it is necessary to pay attention to the mental state of children. If you are obviously dizzy or accompanied by emotional instability, you should stop taking drugs in time.

Talking about the prevention of influenza A, Sichuan disease control experts said that influenza vaccination is the most economical and effective prevention method. Some people at home are infected with the flu, so it is recommended to isolate them at home as much as possible, especially to reduce contact with children and the elderly. For children who cannot be vaccinated within 6 months, family influenza vaccination can reduce children’s infection. Students with flu-like symptoms in school should promptly inform their parents to take them to regular medical institutions for treatment, and they can resume classes after their body temperature returns to normal and other flu-like symptoms disappear for 48 hours. Students should pay attention to self-isolation, do not go to school sick, and suggest home treatment and rest.

Experts also reminded that it is necessary to avoid crowded places and try to avoid contact with patients with respiratory infections. When going to crowded places, you must wear masks; Indoor frequent ventilation, it is recommended to open the window at least twice a day for at least 30 minutes each time. When the air is dry, you can use a humidifier at home to keep the indoor air at a certain humidity. (Reporter Wei Feng)