Don't be subjective when you have the flu. 

Early recognition of flu symptoms and monitoring of disease progression are important. In particular, people in high-risk groups need to be cautious and seek medical attention immediately if they have serious symptoms to ensure their health.

What is flu?

Influenza, or influenza, is a respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses, of which there are many different strains. The illness has a sudden onset and usually lasts 7 to 10 days.

Most people who get the flu recover completely. However, some people, such as young children, the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions or weakened immune systems, are at risk of developing serious, even life-threatening complications.

Typical symptoms of flu include:

- Fever, headache

- Dry cough, sore throat

- Joint pain, muscle pain

- Runny nose

Flu can go away on its own, but there are also cases where it becomes severe, with the risk of life-threatening complications (Illustration photo)

In addition, some cases may experience less common symptoms such as high fever, chills, sweating, severe muscle pain, and even digestive disorders such as vomiting and diarrhea.

Flu is often confused with a cold because of similar symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, and sore throat. However, colds usually develop slowly, while flu symptoms appear suddenly and are more severe.

When to go to the hospital

Typically, flu symptoms will subside after 4-7 days. However, a dry cough and fatigue can last for weeks.

Patients need to go to a medical facility immediately when there are signs of dangerous complications such as:

- Shortness of breath, chest pain

- Respiratory failure, pneumonia

- Coughing up bloody phlegm, severe headache

- Stiff neck, unusual neck pain

In particular, suspected cases of influenza caused by dangerous virus strains such as H5N1, H1N1, H7N9 or with severe symptoms need to be examined and treated promptly to avoid serious complications.

People at high risk of complications

Certain groups of people are more likely to experience complications from the flu, including:

- Children, especially under 12 months of age

- Pregnant women or new mothers

- Elderly people, especially those over 65 years old or with underlying medical conditions

- People living in concentrated environments such as nursing homes, hospitals, military barracks

In addition, the following subjects are also at risk of more serious complications:

- People with weakened immune systems

- People with BMI over 40

- People with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, liver, kidney, diabetes, asthma

- People who have had a stroke

- People under 20 years of age who are on long-term aspirin therapy