While seasonal influenza type A is now on the decline, cases of influenza caused by another type of virus, type B, have been increasing in recent weeks. “This flu syndrome mainly affects children and the peak is expected between March and April,” declared the president of the Association. The Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP) declared Anannamaria Staiano to ANSA, but she wants to avoid alarmism by reassuring families. “After influenza A, we now expect a further spike in cases over the next two months due to the influenza B virus. It is an influenza virus very similar to the type A virus that we know, there is therefore no alarm,” underlines the doctor. Furthermore, “the contagiousness of this virus is lower than that of type A, so we do not expect the millions of cases already recorded with virus A which peaked between December and January. But currently, cases of influenza are mainly due to the type B virus. » Symptoms? Similar to the classic seasonal flu: fever, respiratory symptoms, muscle pain. Complications are rare and it lasts about a week. Staiano also recalls that the influenza B virus is covered by the quadrivalent influenza vaccination, administered with the vaccination campaign since last October. Thus, those who are vaccinated also benefit from coverage against influenza B. The drugs used to combat it are antipyretics and anti-inflammatories, accompanied by the classic rest period. Instead, he concludes, “antibiotics should absolutely not be used, because they are effective against bacterial infections but not against those caused by viruses.”
(cover photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)
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