Katlego Sekhu
This past weekend, Sol Phenduka took to social media to ask, “Hey guys, am I the only one who keeps getting the flu every two months?”
Is this a common occurrence? Or is Sol just unlucky? Sizwe Dhlomo contacted Dr. Nelisiwe Zimu, a Medical Officer, to shed some light on this frequent flu phenomenon.
Influenza, also known as “flu” is an acute respiratory illness caused by an infection of the respiratory tract with the influenza virus. There are two types of influenza viruses that commonly infect humans namely A and B. The flu viruses are typically in circulation before the winter months in South Africa with an average start of the flu season over the years 2005 to 2019 in week 20 (mid-May), ranging from the end April to mid-June.
The virus is spread from person to person. It can be passed from infected people to other people through inhalation of infected respiratory droplets from sneezing, coughing or talking. A person can also be infected by touching contaminated objects or surfaces that the flu virus is on and then touching their mouth, eyes or nose. People who are infected with influenza can prevent spread by doing the following:
- Covering their mouth when coughing with a tissue or cough into the elbow
- Wearing a mask
- Washing their hands frequently with soap and water or cleaning hands using an alcohol-based
- sanitiser
- Staying at home and trying to keep a distance from others
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