Flu is a viral infection that affects your respiratory system (nose, throat, airways and lungs).

The flu is often compared to a cold. And this is a big mistake. Because it is a serious disease that can lead to serious complications. Therefore, you need to know its symptoms and then treat it properly.

Signs and symptoms of flu:
increased body temperature (in adults above 38 C and in children up to 39.5 and 40.5 C);
headache;
dry cough;
muscle pain (especially in the back, arms and legs);
fatigue;
malaise and weakness;
clogged nose;
loss of appetite;
diarrhea and vomiting in children.

The most effective means of reliable prevention against influenza will be preventive vaccination, which should be carried out at least a month before the possible occurrence of the next epidemic season.

At the present time, if you yourself have the first signs of ARVI, or your family members or people close to you have such signs, your behavior should be determined taking into account the following.

Each person must take into account all known ways of transmitting viruses from a sick person to a healthy person. Among which, the most common are airborne transmission and contamination through contaminated hands, so be sure to take measures to eliminate these routes.

For this purpose, during the epidemic rise in incidence, it is necessary to introduce respiratory protection using protective masks.

Premises in which there is a sick person or public premises in which there are many people must be periodically ventilated and it is advisable to carry out wet cleaning using disinfectants or ultraviolet irradiation of the air.

To eliminate ways of transmitting the disease through contaminated hands, you need to wash them as often as possible and use special hand disinfectants, which can be purchased at household chemical stores or pharmacies.

If you have not been vaccinated during the current epidemic season of ARVI and influenza, you should know that if there is a high probability of infection with ARVI or influenza, for example, a member of your family is sick, there are means of chemoprophylactic protection against the disease, which will be recommended if necessary by your family doctor . This is especially necessary for people at “medical risk” for complications, that is, people with weakened immune systems or patients with chronic pulmonary diseases, etc.

An analysis of mortality from complications of influenza indicates that the main cause of these complications was self-medication or late consultation with a doctor.

Thus, even during an epidemic, every person has the opportunity to protect themselves from infection with acute respiratory viral infections and influenza by following generally accepted means of prevention.

If the first signs of ARVI and influenza appear, it is recommended to immediately go to the doctor in medical center in the seaside region St. Petersburg near the metro station Komendantsky Prospekt.