面对全民热议的流感，我们该如何应对？

若你已不幸感染甲型H3N2流感，你一定知道那有多糟糕；若你还未感染，那你也一定耳闻过它的可怕。接下来我们一起了解流感，特别是流感季节的主流毒株。

加州大学洛杉矶分校罗纳德·里根医疗中心（Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center ）和加州大学洛杉矶分校圣莫尼卡医疗中心（UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica）的医生们都通过媒体向病人和公众提供有关流感护理和预防的建议。疾病控制和预防中心报道说，当前流感病毒已席卷全国。加州公共卫生部声称，加州流感主要爆发在流感高发季节。洛杉矶县公共卫生部报告，今年仅该县就有36位流感病人确诊死亡；而去年同期，该地区的死亡人数为13人。从这些令人震惊的报道、可怕的头条新闻以及有关打喷嚏和咳嗽的报道中，有一种说法正在浮现：今年的流感疫苗效果不佳。

“虽然这是真的，但确是传递给大众的不实消息”，加州大学洛杉矶分校戴维医学院（David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.）传染病专家和临床儿科教授黛博拉·雷曼（Deborah Lehman）教授指出。“当人们听到疫苗没有那么有效时，他们会认为没有必要接种疫苗。这会让我们感到非常沮丧。”她说，“疫苗可能不能完全预防流感。但它确实有助于人体产生免疫反应。” 此事非同小可，因此她得到了医学界的支持。“研究表明，疫苗可以预防严重疾病和死亡。这真的很重要，”雷曼说。“即使疫苗没有提供全面保护但也能提供部分保护。”同时雷曼也坦白，这种疫苗对H3N2毒株的效果可能不如其他毒株。这就是为什么当这种病毒蔓延时，学校和工作场所变得空无一人，而医生办公室和急诊室里却挤满了人的原因。但雷曼也表示，因为传统疫苗基本都是效果显著，例如，儿童麻疹疫苗在两次接种后几乎有100%的预防效果，所以导致公众对流感疫苗的期望过高。“没错，目前的流感疫苗并非特效疫苗，”雷曼说，“但它仍是一种很好的疫苗，而且有总比没有疫苗好。”

何时寻求帮助。。。

即使是不太好的疫苗也能治愈大多数流感患者，只是在几天或更长的时间内会伴有发烧、咳嗽和糟糕的感觉。但是雷曼说，流感对需要提供护理的儿童、老人和免疫系统受损的人造成的影响应特别关注。脱水现象需要重点关注，因为它会加重病情或产生一系列负面影响，使身体难以承受。如果儿童、老年人和免疫功能受损的人没有足够的流体，或者如果不能进食或者喝水，他们就需要有比父母或其他护理者更专业的帮助。呼吸困难也是需要有额外医疗照顾的时候，如呼吸困难或呼吸非常快。对儿童来说，精神状态是评判潜在严重问题的另一个关键指标。雷曼说，如果一个孩子变得越来越烦躁或者常常感到困倦，他们就需要立即得到医疗照顾。

如果你还没有生病。。。

那些没有屈从于流感病毒的人不要放弃希望。

加州大学洛杉矶分校(UCLA)大卫·格芬医学院(David Geffen School Of Medicine)普通内科及健康服务研究院的医学系副教授约瑟夫·拉达多博士(Joseph Ladapo)一直在传播有关流感预防的方法。在最近的一次与消费者评论网站“消费者事务”的媒体采访中，他给出了每个人都能操作的实用建议。

睡眠充足。

均衡营养。

定期锻炼。

试着补点锌，但不要过量。

远离病人。

洗手，洗手，洗手。

然后...等它......得到疫苗。

 “对某些病人来说，流感疫苗实际上可以降低他们死亡的风险。”拉达多说，“我们已经对心脏病患者进行了随机试验，这些试验表明，接种流感疫苗可以降低他们心脏病发作或其他心脏问题的风险。令人惊讶的是，这些患者的流感疫苗几乎可以有效地预防心脏疾病，就像服用了他汀类药物一样有效。”

还不相信？请看疾控中心每周流感活动图。

截至1月中旬，美国各个州都报道流感大规模爆发。如果你无法阻止感染流感病毒，那你最好尽可能降低你患重病和死亡的风险吧。

Everyone’s talking about the flu. Here’s what to do about it

H3N2: If you’ve had it, you know how bad it can be. If you don’t, you’ve heard about it and are afraid. Very afraid.

We’re talking about the flu, specifically this flu season’s dominant strain.

Others are taking about the flu as well. Physicians at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, have been featured in the media, and sought by patients and the public for advice on flu care and prevention — and for good reason.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that flu activity is widespread across the country. The California Department of Public Health has announced that flu activity in California is at levels that are usually only seen at the peak of flu season. And the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has reported 36 confirmed flu deaths this year in the county alone; last year at this time, the toll was 13.  Amid the alarming reports, dire headlines and, of course, sneezes and coughs, one refrain is emerging: This year’s flu vaccine isn’t very effective.  

While that’s true, it’s the wrong take-home message, says Dr. Deborah Lehman, an infectious diseases specialist and a professor of clinical pediatrics in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.“When people hear the vaccine isn’t that effective, they assume there’s no point in getting it — and that’s very frustrating,” she says. “The vaccine may not completely prevent the flu. But it does help the body launch an immune response.”That’s no small thing — and science backs her up.“Studies have shown that vaccines prevent against serious illness and death. That’s really important,” Lehman says. “Even if it doesn’t provide full protection, the vaccine may provide some partial protection.”Lehman bluntly acknowledges that this vaccine may not be as effective against the H3N2 strain as against other strains, as many people can attest. That’s why when this strain surges, doctors’ offices and emergency rooms fill up, even as schools and workplaces begin to empty.But Lehman also suggests that the public’s expectations may be too high, fueled as they are by the knowledge that other vaccines are so effective. The pediatric vaccine against measles, for example, is almost 100 percent effective after two doses.“True, the current flu vaccine is not a great vaccine,” Lehman says. “But it’s a good vaccine — and it’s better than no vaccine.”

When to seek help ...

Even the not-so-great vaccine will let most flu sufferers escape with only a fever, cough and a lousy feeling for several days or more. But people who provide care for children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems need to pay special attention to the flu’s impact, Lehman says.Dehydration is the primary concern, because it can exacerbate or launch a cascade of negative health effects and make it harder for a body to defend itself. If children, the elderly and immunocompromised people don’t get enough fluids — or if they can’t keep food and drink down — they need more help than a parent or other caregiver can provide. Respiratory difficulties, such as difficulty breathing or breathing very fast, are also clues additional medical attention is needed. For children, mental status is another key indicator of a potentially serious problem. If a child is increasingly irritable or unusually sleepy, they need immediate medical care, Lehman says.

If you’re not sick yet...

Those who haven’t succumbed to the flu don’t need to abandon hope.

Dr. Joseph Ladapo, an associate professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been spreading the word about flu prevention. In media interviews, such as a recent one with the consumer review website Consumer Affairs, he has offered practical advice that everyone can manage.

 Get enough sleep.

Eat a balanced diet.

Exercise regularly.

Give zinc a try, but don’t overdo it.

Stay away from sick people.

Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.

And ... wait for it ... get the vaccine.

“[F]or some patients, the flu vaccine actually can decrease their risk of death,” Ladapo told the site. “We have seen randomized trials of patients with heart disease, which show that getting the flu vaccine reduces their risk of having a heart attack or other cardiac event. Amazingly, the flu vaccine in these patients can be almost as effective for preventing cardiac events as taking a statin.”

Still not convinced? Check out the CDC’s weekly flu activity map.

As of mid-January, every state — repeat: every state — in the continental U.S. reports widespread flu activity. If you’re going to get the flu — and you may still — it’s better to reduce your risk of serious illness and death if at all possible.