General practitioners and pharmacists are saying they have been inundated with patients requiring medical attention and medication to treat what they are calling the "worse case of flu" in years.
Umlazi GP Dr Dumisani Mkize said his practice had seen a 40 percent increase in patients being treated for the flu.
"This year's flu is especially bad and very virulent. Patients need combination antibiotics for treatment," he said.
"We are seeing more than 40 viral strains right now and the usual vaccines we get cover about three of those strains."
Pharmacists have also reported an influx of people coming through for "over the counter" flu medication.
Musthaq Patel, a pharmacist at the Chatsworth Sparkport Pharmacy, said: "Patients are suffering from fevers, diarrhoea, pain and colds.
"Patients are also suffering from severe acute effects and the flu is taking at least three weeks to be totally cured."
For people wanting to take the flu injection now, Patel advised against it, saying that it was too late in the year.
"People now need to take preventative measures by taking vitamins and immune system boosters," said Patel.
"They also need to maintain healthy eating habits and not get into close contact with people who have contracted the flu," he said.
Another pharmacist, in Pietermaritzburg, said that this year's flu was so bad that some patients were getting viral pneumonia and needed nebulising.
South African Medical Association councillor Dr Mohamed Bayat, from Mooi River, agreed that the situation has been "much worse than previous years".
"The best thing you can do is get into bed for two to three days until you feel better," he said.
Bayat attributed the steep rise in flu symptoms to the colder weather patterns.
Leon Mbangwa, spokesperson for the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health advised the public not to panic as there was always an expected escalation in the number of flu cases around this time of the year.
"This is why we are now seeing an increase in the number of people visiting our hospitals and clinics with flu symptoms.
"Children, the elderly and people who have a compromised immune system are at a higher risk," he said.
Labels: No Prescription, Online Pharmacy, Prescription Drugs
# posted by Network @ 2:31 AM
