Influenza A

[Melbourne-Girl]

Hi everyone! I was privileged to work with one of the Directors of the Wold Health Organisation. He is 1 of 5 top Global experts in Influenza A and will write my key learnings hoping that it may help even 1 of you (we all have enough with our other various diseases to not look after ourselves properly if we happen to get Influenza A).

Key Learnings

1) you will know the exact date & time when the signs & symptoms of Influenza A hit you as you will feel like you just want to die.

2) the good news is that if you follow the simple instructions of looking after yourself properly if you get influenza A you will be a survivor & get back to how you normally are. Let’s face it we all have enough to put up with at times than to let Influenza A beat us.

3) Influenza A attacks all of the muscles in our bodies, the most dangerous ones being the Heart and the Diaphragm.

4) the main signs and symptoms are sudden onset, terrible aches & pains in all of your body muscles and a very high temperature with hot & cold sweats.

5) try and get your Dr to make a house call as if it is Influenza A you will need complete bed rest and also force yourself to drink lots of water so that you don’t get dehydrated!

6) it is important to be tested to ensure that it is in fact influenza A as you can feel just as bad from some of the para flu’s. It is only Influenza A that will damage your muscles.

7) the test is usually a simple one and involves a buccal swab to the mouth.

8) while you are contagious even surfaces that you touch can harbour the virus and pass it on to other people that way for up to 48 hours.

9) if possible get a family member or a friend to get in touch with those that you had close contact with up to 48 hours before you felt influenza A hit you. This will help these people ensure that they act immediately if they get the influenza A signs & symptoms. They will also stay away from you until you are no longer contagious. This will help minimise the spread of influenza A.

10) there are 2 anti viral drugs for influenza A which will reduce or stop the symptoms. They are a nasal spray called Rulenza (it is difficult to know if you get the correct dose with this method) & a capsule called Tamiflu.

11) the treatments will have the best chance of working properly if you commence them within 48 hours of influenza A hitting you. The main problem with the treatments can be that they can make you feel so much better you want to start doing things again. DONT!!!! If you become active because you feel better that is when you are likely to get a secondary bacterial chest infection and even worse can get Cardiomyopathy or in fact die. You still have to have bedrest & drink plenty of fluids for 7-10 days otherwise if you survive, the influenza A will rebound & will be far worse than when you first got it.

12) thus far in Australia this year we have had double the deaths when compared with last year. They are from people of all ages and both males and females.

13) years ago it was mainly just a winter disease but now with all of the air travel you can get it any time of the year (there still appears to be more during winter months).

I hope that this helps at least one of you as it will have been well worth writing it if it does.

Stay warm & well,

My best always

Melbourne Girl xxx

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