Flu is no longer just a seasonal malaise

Dubai: As the temperature soars and the season changes, clinics are crowded with people suffering from coughs and colds, doctors said.

Families suffering from flu are coming to clinics, said one doctor, advising that more care needs to be taken at home if one has the flu to stop spreading the infection.

Tourists are also bringing in the flu virus as they come from colder climates to enjoy the warm weather here, a doctor said.

Thousands of tourists travel to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the northern emirates at this time of the year and bring with them viruses that spread fast, doctors said.

The flu bug also mutates and doctors advised people to take the flu vaccination every year, especially those suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

“It will protect you by at least 80 per cent,” said Dr Sunil Seshadri, specialist, internal medicine at NMC Day Surgery Centre, Mohammad Bin Zayed City.

The scary part is that the flu bug keep mutating every year and one has to get the latest vaccination to fight the new strain. The flu vaccination is also recommended for those working in hospitals and clinics as they are more prone to viral and bacterial infections,

With the temperature slowly climbing to 39 degrees Celsius in Abu Dhabi (yesterday) and expected to reach the high 40s throughout the UAE as summer sets in, doctors urge people to drink more water and not to dehydrate.

“You immunity gets compromised if you are dehydrated,” said Dr Mohammad Idrees Hafiz, specialist family physician at Al Tadawi Medical Centre in Dubai.

Even if you sitting in an air-conditioned room you can get dehydrated, he said and advised people to drink 2.5 litres a day as the air indoors is not moist.

The doctor said our immunity is weakened if we do not get enough sleep and do not eat healthy. Studies have shown that a majority of people in the UAE get by with less than six hours of sleep, spending the nights surfing the Net. A majority also do not get the required amount of fruits and vegetables, and instead eat junk food. Dr Hafiz advised people to avoid crowded places and to seek medical help as soon as they contract the flu.

Dr Seshadri said he has seen many families coming into the clinic with the same symptoms. “First the family visits the paediatrician and then they come again and visit an internal specialist.”

He advised people to wash hands often, every time he or she touches an object. “You should cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and dispose of the tissue immediately,” he said. The doctor said prevention is the best bet against the infection.