Influenza in Hong Kong mostly occurs in young people (especially infants and children under 2 years old), the elderly and other people with low immunity and patients with serious diseases. This time, more than 300 people have died as a result of the influenza attack in Hong Kong, which is worse than the SARS virus in that year. How can we prevent the influenza in Hong Kong? What are the routes of influenza transmission?
According to the analysis of the latest issue of "direct attack on infectious diseases" on the performance of influenza symptoms in Hong Kong in 2017, this year, the summer influenza in Hong Kong has been raging for nearly three months since May, earlier than last summer's influenza peak.
The report also pointed out that the epidemic in summer was dominated by h13n2, and the elderly had a greater chance of serious complications due to the aging population.
Patients often show the symptoms of common influenza, sometimes diarrhea and vomiting, severe cases of pneumonia and respiratory failure, or even death.
Influenza virus is mainly transmitted through the droplets produced by patients when they cough, sneeze or speak, or through direct contact with patients' secretions.
Will Hong Kong be infected with influenza in 2017? Since the summer of this year, the total number of deaths caused by influenza in Hong Kong has reached 312, which is higher than that during the SARS period in Hong Kong. According to the data from the health protection center of the Hong Kong Department of health, this influenza is mainly influenza A H3N2. Remind to keep personal hygiene, wash hands thoroughly and often, and avoid touching mouth, eyes and nose with dirty hands!
Seasonal influenza has a strong ability of human to human transmission. Compared with limited effective treatment measures, active prevention and control is more important. What precautions can citizens take?
How to prevent influenza in Hong Kong
1. Keep indoor air circulation and avoid going to crowd gathering places during peak period.
2. Use paper towels when coughing or sneezing to avoid the spread of droplets.
3. Wash hands frequently and thoroughly to avoid contact with mouth, eyes and nose.
4. In case of influenza like symptoms during the epidemic, seek medical treatment in time, reduce contact with others and try to stay at home.
5. Patients with influenza should be isolated from the respiratory tract for one week or until the main symptoms disappear. Patients' utensils and secretions should be thoroughly disinfected.
6. Strengthen outdoor physical exercise to improve the body's disease resistance ability.
7. Prevention and control of outbreaks in Institutions: when influenza has been prevalent in the community, if there are 2 or more people in the same institution who have influenza like symptoms within 72 hours, they should be alert and actively carry out pathogen detection. Once diagnosed, patients should be required to go to hospital for treatment or rest at home, do a good job in personal hygiene, and try to avoid and reduce contact with others.
8. Vaccination against influenza: vaccination against influenza is the most effective way to prevent influenza and its complications. The vaccine needs to be vaccinated every year for effective protection. The replacement of vaccine strains is determined by who according to the global monitoring results.