Influenza (flu) is a highly contagious virus that is spread by coughs and sneezes and mainly affects the lungs.
Monday 16th April 2018 clinics will commence.
This year we are offering Flu Vaccines at ‘no cost’ to our patients. New patients need to book with a Doctor to update your clinical details, Flu vaccine cost will be $20.
Every year it causes widespread illness in the Australian community, typically between June and September.
It can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications, especially in the elderly and people with heart or lung disease.
There are several different strains of flu (including Swine and Avian), many of which you and your family can be effectively immunised against.
Flu is an acute viral illness that mainly affects the respiratory system. Symptoms usually start with a sudden onset of chills, shakes, headache, aching, fever and dry cough. Your body’s immune system most often deals with the virus within a few weeks but it can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications especially in the elderly and people with heart or lung disease.
It is quite different from a bad cold and the only way to be certain that someone has flu is to either collect a nose or throat swab or a blood test. Once a person has recovered from a bout of flu they are usually immune for it for that season.
There are several strains of flu virus including types A, B and C. Flu also affects other animals and occasionally jumps across to humans. Swine and avian flu are examples of this and can be particularly dangerous as a person’s immune system has no existing defences to it. All flu strains are continuously changing and developing resistance to immunisations.
Treatment of flu aims to minimise the symptoms including bed rest, pain killers to reduce fever and plenty of fluids. Children under the age of 16 must not be given aspirin under any circumstances because of the risk of liver damage.
Also anti-viral medication can help reduce the duration of the flu but it must be taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms showing.
People of all ages get the flu. In general people affected by the flu is between 5-10 per cent but in bad years it can be up to 20 per cent however in places such as nursing homes it can two-three times higher. It’s common in children with 10-40 per cent getting infected each year.