The number of flu hospitalizations in the United States is at its highest level in a decade. And there is no indication that the virus will reach its peak. Or disappear in the upcoming weeks. Millions of people could experience severe complications. As a result of not being vaccinated against the flu. And the busy holiday travel season that is approaching.
While most people who get the flu recover in a few days. Some may develop complications that are life-threatening. The most recent information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that since October, at least 7,300 people have died from the flu. And it included 21 children.
Approximately 120,000 people have been hospitalized for the flu in the last couple of months. The CDC reported the following. Nine out of 10 adults hospitalized with flu. And at least one of them had underlying medical condition.
Warning signs of pneumonia
Although pneumonia shares many of the symptoms of influenza, such as fever and body aches. There are some warning signs that a more serious lung infection may be developing.
The warning signs of pneumonia include a cough. And this cough produces yellow or green sputum, an increasing fever, and chest pain. When coughing or taking a deep breath it shows the signs.
If not treated promptly, sepsis, a complication that can result in organ failure and death. It may also occur in some pneumonia patients.
The CDC says that influenza and pneumonia are the ninth leading cause of death in the United States. It caused a killing tens of thousands of people each year.
Heart attack risk
In rare instances, flu-related inflammation of the brain or muscles is also linked to an increased risk of heart attack.
According to a 2018 study, patients were six times more likely to have a heart attack. In the week following an influenza infection than at any other time. During the previous year or the year following the infection.
According to Chin-Hong, he has treated flu patients who later developed myositis. It is painful muscle weakness, or encephalitis. It is a dangerous brain inflammation that can be brought on by viral infections.
