Doctors Association Kashmir led by Dr Suhail Naik on Saturday said that flu has once again gripped the Valley and a large number of children are suffering from Flu-like Illness (FLI).
The DAK appealed people not to panic as this is only theseasonal flu and not Swine flu.
In a statement Dr Naik, a senior paediatrician said that theseasonal flu is a viral infection of the respiratory tract caused by aninfluenza B virus. “Symptoms can include fever, headache, runny nose, sorethroat, or cough and chest congestion. Every year there is a period of timewhere there are outbreaks of the flu, what we call as seasonal flu,” he added.
“Flu season generally occurs during the fall, winter and earlyspring. Current peak in seasonal flu is due to the opening of schools afterwinter break and this viral infection easily spreads from child to child. Thisseasonal flu is due to influenza B and is not swine flu or life-threatening,”Dr Naik added.
He advised people to give rest, a lot of fluids, soups tokids and need-based paracetamol.
“There are some patients who are at higher risk of developing complications due the flu. They are youngchildren less than one year, pregnant women, older adults age more than 65, andpeople with long-term illnesses like diabetes, chronic kidney failure, cancersor with impaired immune systems that make it hard to fight infection. In suchcases early use antiviral drug like Osteltamavir should be judiciously considered,”he said.