Difference I. Main symptoms
Key words: Be alert to sudden high fever
Common influenza: sudden onset, chills, fever, headache, body temperature rises to a peak of 39-40℃ or even higher within a few hours to 24 hours. It may be accompanied by respiratory symptoms such as sore throat, runny nose, lacrimation and cough. A few cases have loss of appetite, accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting and diarrhea.
Human avian influenza: In addition to high fever, cough, runny nose, and myalgia, most are accompanied by severe pneumonia, and in severe cases, multiple organ failure such as heart and kidney failure leading to death. The incubation period is usually 1 day-3 days, usually within 7 days.
Influenza A (H1N1): human incubation 7 days before showing signs of illness. The initial symptoms are similar to those of ordinary influenza, but the body temperature will suddenly exceed 39 degrees Celsius, with a marked increase in muscle aches and pains, accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, headache, diarrhea, vomiting or some of these symptoms. Its sudden onset is more difficult to prevent, and thus more frightening than the first two types of flu.
Difference two, the way of transmission
Key words: Human to human, human to animal
Common influenza: Interpersonal transmission and airborne droplet transmission are the main sources of infection, and influenza patients and latently infected persons are the main sources of infection. Infectious 1 day-7 days after the onset of the disease, the first 2 days-3 days of the disease is the most infectious.
Human avian influenza: avian influenza virus so far can only be transmitted to people through birds, not through people. The onset of disease is mainly concentrated in winter and spring, more rural than urban.
Influenza A (H1N1): the virus is very active, can be transmitted from people to pigs, or pigs to people, can also be spread among the population. Interpersonal transmission is mainly by coughing and sneezing of infected persons. Some experts warn that it is important to prevent patients with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza from contracting the swine flu virus, because these two viruses, if present in a person, may exchange genes with each other and form a super flu virus that may spread freely from person to person, with extremely high pathogenicity and mortality.
Difference 3: Infected people
Keyword: susceptible age
Common influenza: The four groups of people most susceptible to infection – the elderly, people with chronic diseases such as liver, kidney, and heart, health care workers who are frequently exposed to influenza populations, and children.
Human avian influenza: Among the cases of infection that have been detected, a higher percentage of children under 13 years of age are in a more serious condition and belong to the susceptible population.
Influenza A (H1N1): young adults are predominant. According to the now discovered cases of death from swine flu, the vast majority of patients are between the ages of 25 and 45.
Difference four, the mortality rate
Keywords:High mortality rate of avian influenza
Common influenza: can be fatal, but the mortality rate is low, less than 1%.
Human avian influenza: avian influenza in humans has a high mortality rate, but only a small number of people in the population are susceptible to the avian influenza virus.
Influenza A (H1N1): mortality rate of 6.77%, higher than the general influenza, its high mortality rate for two main reasons: First, the virus is fierce; second, the public at first easily mistaken for the common cold, just take some medicine, miss the onset of the first 72 hours of the best treatment period.
Difference five, prevention and treatment methods
Common influenza: vaccination against influenza is available, mostly from October to mid-November, once a year. Prevention is the same as other influenza, but it is not necessary to deliberately avoid contact with chickens, ducks, pigs, etc.
Human avian influenza: A vaccine is available. China is the second country after the United States to have the technology and production capacity for human avian influenza vaccine preparation.
Influenza A (H1N1): The existing vaccine is not effective for people. Take precautions by washing your hands more often, wearing a mask, staying less in public places, ventilating the room, avoiding contact with influenza patients, and having as little contact as possible with animals, especially pigs. Eat pork well heated.