Type A influenza may be returning to Thailand after two years: expert
Type A influenza is rearing its head again after having disappeared for two years, a lung specialist warned on Friday.
In a Facebook post, Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs warned people to beware of the virus as their immunity may have dropped over the past two years. This is because there were no infections and most people will not have taken their annual flu vaccine.
Hence, he said, people in the high-risk group, namely the elderly, people with underlying diseases, small children and pregnant women should get their flu shots as soon as possible.
He also said that both Covid-19 and Type A influenza have similar symptoms, namely fever, coughing, sore throat and runny nose. Thus, he said, people with these symptoms should be tested for both Covid-19 and influenza and take relevant drugs immediately.
Dr Manoon cited the case of a 75-year-old patient who suffers from hypertension and hyperlipidaemia. She visited a doctor on Wednesday, complaining of high fever, phlegm, sore throat, dizziness and nausea for four days. She said she had been with her three grandchildren, who all caught the flu from May 14 onwards.
The patient had no fever when she visited the doctor, and her oxygen levels and chest X-ray were normal. She tested positive for Type A influenza but not Covid-19 and was prescribed the relevant medication.
Dr Manoon added that another family had been hit by Type A influenza at around the same time.
