Got the flu? Docs say don’t worry, go easy on antibiotics

The association said there is a sudden increase in the number of patients having symptoms of cough, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, fever, body ache, and diarrhoea in some cases. “The infection usually lasts for about five to seven days. The fever goes away at the end of three days, but the cough can persist for up to three weeks,” it stated, adding that people above 50 and under 15 are most vulnerable. “Most are cases of H3N2 influenza virus,” it said.

“People start taking antibiotics like Azithromycin and Amoxiclav, that too without caring for dose and frequency, and stop it once they start feeling better. This needs to be stopped as it leads to antibiotic resistance,” said the association.

Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, said more cases were being seen a month ago than now. “A lot of influenza cases were being reported with high fever. While the fever would subside quickly, the cough persists for 2-3 weeks. Patients would develop lethargy, tiredness and body ache.”

He said the pollution too is an aggravating factor.

Dr Sanjay Rai, professor at the Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS, said cases requiring hospitalisation remain low. “This is flu season because the weather is favourable for bacteria to survive. It’s not a new phenomenon. Before summer or during the rainy season, such cases increase and viral diseases do happen,” he said.

Dr Jugal Kishore, head of the Community Medicine Department at Safdarjung Hospital, said: “Such kinds of respiratory illnesses are common whenever the temperature is changing.” He too advised against overuse of antibiotics.