41-year-old D.M.H from District 5 shared that she has stored common medicines, both Western and alternative ones, for flu at home, ready to help her family cure its symptoms when needed. She feels no need to visit a doctor for this illness.
Not as lucky as H, 45-year-old N.T.T.T from Cu Chi District tried to cure flu symptoms by herself without much success. She suffered from high fever, sore throat, muscle pain, and a terrible headache. After 9 days with no improvement, she had to come to a hospital. Professional diagnosis revealed that she did not use correct medicine while overusing the air conditioner at home, along with a lack of daily exercise. After using the prescribed medicine, she felt much better.
Head of the Internal Medicine – Infectious Disease Department of Thong Nhat Hospital Dr. Tran Thi Van Anh shared that many people now buy medicine to cure themselves from flu without any professional consultation. This may lead to using unnecessary drugs that can harm the kidney and liver, or even more severe complications like pneumonia, encephalitis, sepsis, which are life-threatening.
The doctor informed that influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and sometimes the lungs. People can catch a flu from patients via droplets when talking, coughing, and sneezing. Patients are mainly treated with drugs to relieve symptoms and nutritional supplements to improve their immune system.
It is advisable for the public, especially pregnant women, children from 6 months to 5 years old, and the old of over 65 years old, to vaccinate each year for protection against flu. To avoid being infected, people should frequently clean their hands, practice personal hygiene habits, keep their accommodation clean and airy, and follow a balanced diet with regular exercise.
Also, since the dengue fever is spreading dangerously in HCMC, it is quite hard for the unprofessional to differentiate between this disease and flu. Hence, they are advised to visit a hospital for blood test when necessary, instead of curing symptoms all by themselves.
Flu can be mistaken with viral fever as well, so citizens are warned to carefully monitor their physical health status to detect suspicious symptoms like high fever, coughing, running nose, muscle pain and exhaustion. High-risk people should be timely sent to hospital to avoid the disease turning worse.
