Doctor Dinh Van Thoi - Head of the Vaccination Clinic at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City said that after Tet, more people came for check-ups and vaccinations, especially for flu and measles vaccines. For seasonal flu, one dose of vaccine can protect for 1 year. Therefore, after 1 year, people should get a booster shot to ensure the vaccine's preventive effectiveness.
According to Dr. Truong Huu Khanh - Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Infectious Diseases Association, when influenza occurs, we need to pay attention to whether the dynamics of the influenza virus are more special or not, whether it causes death or is resistant to drugs. Currently, the dynamics of this influenza virus are not special.
“The reason why the number of flu cases has increased this year is because the weather is favorable for the flu virus to develop. The longer the cold weather lasts, the more the virus will affect,” said Dr. Khanh.
When living in the environment, the colder the weather, the longer the flu virus can live, it can even live for 1 month. Existing in the environment for a long time will cause the virus to spread more. In addition, when the weather is cold, people with the disease who do not keep warm will have complications.
Therefore, the effective way to prevent flu is to wear a mask, keep your body warm, wash your hands, cover your nose with your arm instead of your hand when sneezing or blowing your nose to avoid spreading the disease to those around you, and get vaccinated. People with underlying diseases need to pay attention to getting vaccinated fully. In case people with underlying diseases cannot get vaccinated, those around them need to get vaccinated fully.
When you first get a respiratory illness, you need to rest, drink enough water, eat enough nutrients... to avoid complications. You need to closely monitor the respiratory condition of the underlying patient; if you have a high fever, cough with phlegm, shortness of breath, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, dizziness that lasts a long time, you need to go to the hospital immediately.
