Influenza
What happens when you get influenza?
After infection, it takes 1-3 days for symptoms to develop. Healthy people mostly have symptoms of a sore throat, dry cough, nausea and sore eyes. Fever, chills, muscle aches and pains and loss of appetite occur in more severe cases. These symptoms usually settle after a week. You often feel very tired for days or even weeks after the flu. Breathlessness can occur if more severe complications such as pneumonia develop.
Causes
The flu is caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. These viruses spread through droplets in the air when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. The virus can also be spread by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching your own mouth, eyes or nose. You can spread the flu before you know you are sick, beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 5 to 7 days after becoming sick.
Diagnosis
Your doctor may diagnose a probable influenza infection based on your symptoms alone. They will listen to your chest using a stethoscope. If your doctor wants to be sure of the diagnosis they may take a sample of cells and mucus from your nose or throat using a sterile cotton swab. This sample will be sent to a pathology laboratory for testing.
This information was sourced from: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/colds-and-flu-diagnosis. Bed rest helps muscle aches and pains and paracetamol helps lower fever. Aspirin is also useful for fever and pain in adults but is not used in young children due to the risk of liver disease (Reye’s Syndrome).
Relenza and Tamiflu are two medicines available for the treatment of influenza, however, they only help if taken within 48 hours of developing symptoms. These medicines do not have any effect on the common cold and they are not recommended for use in children under 12 years of age. People with chronic lung disease may also be given antibiotics to prevent the onset of bacterial infections which may worsen influenza.
Can you get influenza from the vaccine?
It is impossible to get influenza from the vaccine. As the vaccine is given at a time when other flu-like illnesses circulate within the community, any symptoms you get at this time may be due to other infections caught around the time of vaccination. The influenza vaccine contains strains of the vaccine that have been killed and broken apart. What is actually given by injection is only the part of the virus that will protect you from the disease.
What about reactions to the vaccine?
Most people have little or no reaction to the vaccine injection. One in four might have a swollen red tender area where the vaccine was given. Occasionally, slight fever and chills, or even worsening of chest symptoms may occur in those who already have lung disease. These rarely last longer than one or two days. Because the vaccine is produced in eggs, people who are allergic to eggs should not receive the vaccine unless it is absolutely necessary.
Will the influenza vaccine protect against COVID-19?
The influenza vaccine targets the common circulating strains of influenza. The vaccine works by promoting an immune response so that if you get exposed to that type of influenza virus your immune system recognises it and is able to deal with it without you going on to develop an infection from it. Unfortunately, this vaccine won’t protect against the coronavirus infection because this type of virus is quite different from influenza.