Don't delay treatment
While flu or influenza is not rare, it can still lead to severe illness or death, especially in people at high risk such as those with pre-existing comorbidity, elderly and children.
Recently, India has witnessed a spike in H3N2 virus cases and hospitalization that triggers symptoms like fever, cold, cough and body aches. There has been a nearly 150 per cent rise in patients coming to OPDs with such complaints, doctors said for Delhi hospitals, according to PTI.
It is important to seek medical assistance instead of self-treatment, which may worsen your symptoms if proper treatment is not taken in time.
Why children are getting hospitalized
"The reason behind the hospitalization of children is that they keep playing even when they are unwell. Hence, at times, parents also neglect the gravity and visit doctors only when infection becomes high. Hence they have to be taken to ICU or else admitted to hospital," IANS quoted Sudhir Bhandari, former Principal of SMS Medical College, Jaipur.
Here are some signs which should not be ignored.
High fever
Doctors share that while earlier, fever usually lasted for 3-4 days, but in these cases, the fever is not getting cured even in 6-7 days, according to IANS. Along with high fever, patients may also experience chills.
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Persistent cough
In case of flu, a dry cough usually starts after a fever and can last for a long time. The cough is very strong and it is taking 10 to 12 days to get cured, according to experts. Along with coughing, you may also experience a sore throat.
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Pneumonia
In some patients getting infected with H3N2 virus, more infection is spreading in their lungs. This can lead to pneumonia. For the unversed, pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus, leading to cough, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing.
If the condition worsens, hospitalization becomes necessary, often in elderly or young children.
Weakness
Fatigue, lethargy and extreme weakness are frequent H3N2 symptoms. These may persist for several weeks even after the other symptoms have subsided. You may also experience severe and long-lasting body pain, particularly in the back, arms, and legs.
While some of the above mentioned symptoms may seem to common, they should not be taken lightly as your condition can worsen, which may lead to complications like shortness of breath, persistent vomiting, low blood pressure, convulsions and disorientation.