Q: I did not get a flu shot this year because I was worried about the bad reactions that some people have had after the vaccination. Is there anything I can do to prevent the flu or to treat it if I do get it? I know the doctors do not like giving antibiotics for it.
A: It is true that Health Canada has reported side effects in this season’s flu vaccine. A few patients in British Columbia and Quebec have reported red eyes, difficulty breathing and facial swelling after they received the shots. There did not appear to be unusual problems in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where different labs made the vaccines.
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Despite these problems, the health department advises getting a flu shot, because the benefits outweigh the risks of flu, which includes pneumonia or even death in the sick and elderly.
Antibiotics do not kill viruses, and so are not useful in treating flu unless you get a secondary bacterial infection, such as bronchitis, pneumonia or an ear infection.
However, there are some antiviral preparations that can help control the symptoms’ severity, such as amantidine, rimantidine and oseltamivir. These are taken orally, although the drug Zanamivir can be used as an inhaler. These drugs do not eliminate the flu completely, but will lessen the illness’s severity and length if taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms. Side effects include dizziness, irritability and insomnia.
Another course of action is to get the flu vaccination as soon as you know you have been exposed to the virus. It may not be too late to build up a little immunity, as the virus takes a week or so to incubate before symptoms appear. For the best result it is best to get the vaccine four to six weeks before an outbreak occurs.
For more information on the flu, visit the Health Canada’s flu watch site at www.hc-sc.gc.ca, which offers doctors an account of flu activity in different regions throughout Canada between October and May.
