Treatment
Routine use of antiviral drugs (Tamiflu ®) for the treatment of flu syndrome is not recommended due to the low relevance of the outcomes (approximately one day of fever in adults and half a day of fever in children), adverse events - sometimes serious ones - and the phenomena of resistance associated with their use.
Neither is the use of antibiotics recommended in the flu syndrome without complications, as well as for sore throat due to flu syndrome, unless there is no evidence to confirm the bacterial origin (whitish plaques at the tonsils and positive pharyngeal swab for bacteria). The treatment of uncomplicated forms of swine flu includes rest, antipyretics and analgesics (drugs that lower fever and remove pain), sedative cough syrups and liquid administration, better if sweetened. Antibiotic therapy must be immediate in pulmonary lung complications.
The use of antipyretic and anti-inflammatory drugs must not be aimed at the continuous control of fever, but at the need to offer relief to the patient's discomfort and to his difficulty in managing it. Paracetamol (particularly recommended for its lesser gastric damage), Ibuprofen and Diclofenac are the drugs most commonly used for the treatment of fever and the painful symptoms of adults. In subjects with an increased risk of heart and vascular diseases, the use of Paracetamol is recommended, while for those already on low-dose Aspirin® therapy, a valid alternative is to increase the dose until reaching the minimum dose required. to obtain the desired antipyretic and analgesic effect.
In children, however, Ibuprofen and Paracetamol are recommended, but Aspirin® is not recommended due to its association with Reye's syndrome, characterized by encephalitis and fatty liver.
Vaccination for H1N1 in Italy
On the basis of the Ordinance signed by the Deputy Minister of Health on 11-09-09, the priority for the administration of the vaccine in Italy is up to:
• persons deemed essential for the maintenance of continuity of care and work: health and social-health personnel; personnel of public security forces and civil protection; staff of Administrations, Entities and Companies that ensure essential public services; periodic blood donors;
• women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy and breast-feeding women;
• people at risk aged between 6 months and 65 years;
• people aged between 6 months and 17 years, not included in the previous points, based on the updates of the technical sheet authorized by the EMEA or the indications that will be provided by the Superior Health Council;
• people between 18 and 27, not included in the previous points.
In particular, those at risk are those affected by: chronic diseases of the respiratory system (asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cystic fibrosis and COPD); diseases of the cardiovascular system (congenital and acquired cardiopathies); diabetes mellitus and other metabolic diseases; kidney diseases with kidney failure; blood and lymphatic system diseases; neoplasms; severe liver disease and liver cirrhosis; congenital and acquired diseases that lead to a deficient production of antibodies; suppression of drug-induced or HIV immune system; chronic inflammatory diseases and intestinal malabsorption syndromes; pathologies linked to an increased risk of aspiration of respiratory secretions (neuromuscular diseases; obesity with BMI body mass index> 30).
Depending on the availability of the vaccine, other categories of subjects not considered at risk may be included in the program during the vaccination campaign.
At present, no indications have been provided regarding the vaccination of pregnant women.
The pandemic influenza vaccine (H1N1) available today in Italy is called Focetria ®, and is produced by the pharmaceutical company Novartis. The other two vaccines available are Pandemrix ®, produced by GlaxoSmith Kline, and Celvapan ® by Baxter.
What Focetria ® contains
Active ingredient: surface antigens of the influenza virus (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase) of the strain analogous to the A / California / 7/2009 virus strain (X-179A).
Adjuvant: the vaccine contains an adjuvant (MF59C.1) necessary to stimulate a more effective immune response. MF59C.1 is an oil / water emulsion containing 9.75 milligrams of squalene, 1.175 mg of polysorbate 80 and 1.175 mg of sorbitan trioleate in citrate buffer.
Excipients: thiomersal (multi dose vial only), sodium chloride, potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, disodium phosphate dihydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, calcium chloride dihydrate, sodium citrate, citric acid, water for injections.
See also: Nutrition, medicinal herbs and flu
