"I was still at work during the day, without any warning, and when I got home from get off work, I felt heavy in the head and had no appetite, so I went to bed early. But at night, I felt cold all over and had a splitting headache. I took ibuprofen, but still had a high fever of 39.3°. The next day, I went to the hospital for treatment. The aisle was crowded with patients, queuing up to do tests and chest CT confirmed positive for influenza A and upper respiratory tract infection. Fortunately, there was no abnormality in the lungs, so I chose drug treatment in the end. "

"On the second day after landing in Osaka, Japan, my companions and I both got the flu. At first, I had a sore throat, accompanied by dizziness and muscle aches. In order to relieve the discomfort, I bought medicine at a drugstore near the hotel, but the temperature rose again after the effect of the medicine wore off, and even reached over 39° at night. I continued to have a fever for three days before I boarded the plane back to China. There were also sneezes and coughs on the plane. "

On social platforms, not A few patients shared their recent experience of contracting the flu, and some netizens responded with empathy, "My fever reached 38.8° in the morning, and I started vomiting in the afternoon. I had a headache and I was exhausted. I felt helpless, like a lamb to be slaughtered." "I had the same symptoms, and I had a fever for four days. I relied on Tylenol and ibuprofen to bear it. I felt like I was going through a tribulation every day."...

21st Century Business Herald reporters noticed that among the many shared content, oseltamivir and mabaloxavir (Xofluza) were frequently mentioned as "magic flu drugs." Among them, Xofluza is favored by patients for its characteristic of "only needing to be taken once during the course of the disease", and many patients buy the medicine on their own. A month ago, there were even reports in some areas that the supply of the drug was tight and the price increase was "outrageous".

Zhong Yingjie, a general practitioner at Jiahui Medical, emphasized in an interview with a reporter from 21st Century Business Herald that "most influenza antiviral drugs are prescription drugs. There are risks in self-use, which may lead to drug abuse, delay the disease or cause adverse reactions. It is recommended to seek medical attention in time after the onset of influenza symptoms and use the drugs according to the doctor's prescription and guidance."

"If the symptoms are mild, you can choose some over-the-counter symptomatic treatment drugs, such as antipyretics (acetaminophen, ibuprofen) to relieve discomfort. But you need to pay attention to the applicable population and dosage of the drugs, especially children, pregnant women, the elderly and patients with chronic diseases." Zhong Yingjie said that if there is a tendency to severe symptoms such as high fever, severe cough, difficulty breathing, changes in consciousness, severe vomiting and diarrhea, you should seek medical attention in time.

Has the peak of influenza passed?

From November to February or March of the following year, it is the epidemic period of influenza in winter and spring in my country. Mi Feng, spokesperson of the National Health Commission, analyzed at a press conference held at the end of January that the prevalence of respiratory infectious diseases has declined nationwide, the proportion of influenza-like cases has declined, the positive rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and other diseases has continued to decline, and other respiratory diseases such as the new coronavirus continue to be at a low prevalence level.

According to the latest influenza monitoring weekly report released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in the fifth week of 2025, the positive rate of influenza virus detection in southern and northern provinces decreased, mainly A(H1N1)pdm09 subtype. According to Zhong Yingjie's observation, the number of influenza patients who came to Jiahui International Hospital for treatment recently has decreased slightly compared with January 2025. The common symptoms of patients are mainly high fever and cough.

However, the Central Meteorological Observatory recently issued the first cold wave warning in the Year of the Snake. It is expected that today, cold air will continue to affect the eastern region, and the central and eastern parts of the Northeast and Jiangnan will experience different degrees of cooling. The temperature drops sharply, and the risk of contracting respiratory diseases such as influenza cannot be ignored.

In fact, the recent domestic cases of severe or death caused by influenza have also attracted much attention. Studies have shown that an average of 84,200 to 92,000 excess respiratory deaths in my country are related to influenza each year, accounting for 8.2% of all respiratory deaths. Not only in China, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States shows that at least 24 million influenza cases have been reported this flu season, including 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths.

Why is the cost of influenza so heavy? "Most influenza patients can recover on their own without sequelae. But because influenza can cause related complications, such as pneumonia, which is the most common complication, influenza virus can invade the lower respiratory tract and cause viral pneumonia. In addition, some influenza patients may have combined infections with bacteria, other viruses, atypical pathogens, fungi, etc. When combined with Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae or invasive pulmonary Aspergillus infection, the condition is severe and the mortality rate is high." Zhong Yingjie explained and emphasized, "Prevention must be done first. If you have related symptoms, you must seek medical attention in time."

How to identify influenza from symptoms? According to Zhong Yingjie, the initial symptoms of influenza include sore throat, fatigue, and dry cough. The typical flu symptoms, which are different from the common cold, are sudden fever, chills, muscle aches (bilateral shoulder, neck, back, thighs, etc.), and the fever is usually 37.8-40.0℃, and can be as high as 41.1℃. Some patients may experience vomiting and diarrhea. In addition, the typical incubation period of influenza is 1 to 4 days, and the interval between onset of the disease after family contact transmission is 3 to 4 days.

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