HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Grey River Argus, 7 October 1941, Page 3

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Treatment of Influenza (Prepared and issued by the Health Department) Remember the great influenza epidemic of 1918? That black summei when New Zealand was caught in the wave of a plague that swept round the world and struck hundreds of thousands dead? They did not die of influenza. They were killed by virulent germs that attacked with the help of influenza. People don’t die of influenza. It is not fatal. By itself the influenza virus produces a short, sharp illness from which recovery is rapid. Ihe danger of influenza lies in what it encourages other germs to do. It is the “fifth column” of the big army of infectious germs. It is with us all the time, and passed from one person to another, at the slightest sign of bodily weakness —brought on perhaps by a cold or a chill —it gets busy. Quickly, it further undermines our' resistance, and paves the way for the easy invasion of other and more deadly germs. That is when the (rouble begins, when the other germs get to work, and if the patient is not cared for properly, death may intervene — usually from some heart of lung complication. Immediately the symptoms show up—a slight temperature, chilly sensations, aching of tlie limbs, and a generally fed-up feeling—put the patient to bed. This is the start of the dangerous period, when complications may start without warning. Keep him warm and call a doctor, who knows the dangers ahead and the wav to avoid them. Don’t let the patient back to work or school too soon. Make him stay in bed for a day or two after his temperature becomes normal. <Be firm. If he is young and husky and not used to being ill, he will probably have to be managed when he starts feeling a little perky again. Influenza is extremely infectious, so it is up to the other members of the household to look after themselves. Keep the house well ventilated, and the patient’s room as well, because the influenza virus hates fresh air. Wash the hands at once after contact with the patient or his secretions. Discarded handkerchiefs should be placed in distinfectant. Avoid inhaling the patient’s breath, especially when he is coughing, sneezing or talking. Anyone nursing a patient is advised to wear a simple gauze mask over the mouth and nose when attending him. It pays.