As expected, the virus is also starting to affect our peninsula. The Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) recommends not to use antibiotics unless strictly necessary.
The peak of influence is approaching: for now we are only at the beginning. Yet, according to the monitoring carried out by Influnet, the national system of epidemiological and virological surveillance of influenza, coordinated by the Ministry of Health, there are already about 800 thousand Italians bedridden by winter illness. The most affected are children under five.
“The speed of circulation of the virus tends to increase in closed and overcrowded environments, especially if attended by children, largely non-immune, as they were not previously exposed to similar viral strains,” says the director of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Higher Institute of Health, Giovanni Rezza.
The actual peak is expected between late January and early February, and will be followed by a more or less long queue of cases.
Typical symptoms of seasonal illness
“This year’s flu,” adds Rezza, “has the same characteristics as that of past years: high fever, headache, muscle pain, dry cough, and is not particularly aggressive. There are three circulating virus strains, and their characteristics are fully compliant with forecasts».
The Italian Medicines Agency recommends not taking antibiotics in case of influenza without complications of bacterial origin. Antibiotics should be taken only when really necessary and following the prescription of the attending physician who ascertains their usefulness.
Watch the interview with the pharmacologist Corrado Giua to know how to recognize it and what to do at the first symptoms.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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