What is influenza?
Influenza is a common virus that affects the respiratory system. The flu virus tends to be seasonal (peaking during winter) and is spread through the air when someone coughs or sneezes. You can also catch it from touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth, eyes or nose, so practising good hygiene habits, such as washing your hands, is advised.
More severe than a common cold, typical symptoms include fever, chills, headache, sore throat, runny nose, cough, body aches, loss of appetite, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea. The recommended treatment is to rest and drink plenty of fluids.
Can the flu have any serious complications?
Flu complications can include:
- Croup
- Bronchitis
- Middle ear infections
- Convulsions
- Pneumonia
- Heart failure
In WA each year, about 10 per cent of the population catch influenza and about 200 people, who are mostly in at-risk groups, die from complications. Children under two years are more likely than adults to end up in hospital with serious complications and the majority of childhood flu-related hospitalisations and deaths occur among children without underlying medical conditions.
How can the flu be prevented?
The best way to avoid catching the flu is to be vaccinated each year. Under the National Immunisation program, pregnant women and children aged six months to five years are among those who can receive a free flu vaccine. There is only a minor risk of the vaccine causing serious harm, such as a severe allergic reaction.
The vaccine, while not 100 per cent effective, does provide a high level of protection and can reduce symptoms in those who still get sick. You should get the new flu vaccine in autumn each year since active strains of influenza viruses vary from year to year.
Importance of antenatal vaccination
Influenza vaccination during pregnancy protects both mothers and newborns against serious infection. A study found that it lowered women’s risk of acute respiratory infections requiring hospital care by more than 60 per cent. It may also reduce the risk of stillbirth.
For more information about the flu, visit the WA Department of Health.
*Usually someone with influenza will recover naturally within two to seven days. You should consult a doctor if symptoms become severe or don’t clear up.
Our research impact
The West Australian Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness Study (WAIVE) was the largest paediatric influenza vaccine effectiveness study in the southern hemisphere. Its data was used to support the current recommendation that all young children in WA should get a flu shot. It also demonstrated that vaccination prevents two out of three children from going to hospital with influenza.
