Strong flu reported in S. africa regions

Health24 contacts GPs in all the main centres every week and uses this information to compile a Flu-o-Meter. According to GPs all over the country, consulting rooms are buzzing with ill patients seeking an official diagnosis.

Where the regions rate
The situation in Johannesburg and the Western Cape has stabilised somewhat, but numbers still remain very high. The main symptoms being reported are nasal congestion and coughs. Flu cases in Pretoria and Durban have increased quite considerably, where patients have reported very high fever and bodily pains, particularly in the chest. The Free State has also not escaped the scourges of the flu, and the situation remains much the same, since the flu season began in May.

Numbers of flu patients in Port Elizabeth are also high, and a few serious cases have been reported in the region.

So stock up on those oranges, because Vitamin C is what you'll need this winter. And don't forget your usual nutrition and multivitamins.

What is flu?
Each winter, thousands of people suffer from colds and flu. Both are highly transmittable infections caused by viruses.

Flu spreads easily from person to person through droplet distribution when an infected person coughs or sneezes or, quite commonly, through hand contact.

Flu (or influenza) is caused by the influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, sinuses, upper airways and lungs. It is mostly a mild disease in healthy children, young adults, and middle-aged people. It is completely different from the common cold virus.

Flu can, however, be life-threatening in older people, toddlers and in people of any age who have chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart, lung, or kidney disease, or a compromised immune system. Those who are at most risk of flu should do all they can to prevent and avoid flu and be treated as soon as possible.

(Health24, May 2006