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Doctors have attributed an increase of seasonal flu cases in the kingdom to changing weather patterns, lack of social distancing measures and children returning to school.
The energy-sapping bug attacks the nose, throat and lungs. A virus causes it and although most people get better on their own it can take some longer than others to recover.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms to look out for include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches and fatigue.
“In recent weeks, we have seen hospitals packed with patients, primarily children, who commonly show signs of fever, runny nose and a cough,” American Mission Hospital’s (AMH) general practitioner Dr Babu Ramachandran told the GDN.
Dr Ramachandran
“Out of the patients I treat, 50 per cent of them are diagnosed with the flu,” he said, adding that the recovery time this season appears to have increased – with some victims taking up to 10 days to get better.
Once a person in the family or office succumbs, the rest soon follow, Dr Ramachandran said, adding that it was also common to see an increase in the number of cases when weather patterns change and children are back in the classroom after the festive break.
“With the return of children to school and the lack of precautionary measures such as wearing masks and social distancing, cases will rise,” AMH internal medicine specialist Dr Edwin Ratnaraj explained.
Dr Ratnaraj
Doctors across the globe have reported a rise in prolonged coughs too. Although coughing is a natural reflex reaction, if there is persistent inflammation from an infection, it can cause the cough to remain longer than usual.
Royal Bahrain Hospital (RBH) pulmonologist Dr Maria Catacun revealed that it often takes longer for patients to recover if they do now receive treatment within a certain ‘golden time’.
“If patients are treated within 48 hours of developing influenza it helps decrease their recovery time, but if patients wait it will most likely prolong the time it takes to get better,” she said.
Dr Catacun
All the doctors the GDN contacted fear flu cases may increase in Bahrain in the coming weeks due to the easy transmission of the infection.
Medics says that getting an influenza vaccine – though not 100 per cent effective – is the best way to prevent the misery of the flu and its complications.
Incidentally, the GDN reported a drop in cases of seasonal flu cases in 2022 among children, which medics cited was due to the limited exposure to the changing weather, awareness and early recognition of symptoms. Experts also noted it as ‘advantages’ of coronavirus protocols as people were wearing face masks, washing hands and maintaining social distancing while being watchful of symptoms.
“Patients who have been diagnosed with the seasonal flu are advised to rest and drink warm fluids,” Dr Ramachandran said, adding that if their symptoms worsen, they should seek further medical attention.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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