I have been asked a few very good questions about the difference between a cold and the flu, so here are the answers to them.

How long can the 'flu' be passed on for when you can be carrying it and don't know it, as 77% of people can just be carriers? 

It is spread by droplet infection, coughing sneezing, talking up to about 6 feet away from another person, less often from a surface contact. It can be passed on for up to 5-7 days for adults and longer for children.

How could we get verification that we are carrying the influenza virus when we have no symptoms? 

It is possibly unlikely that you would be tested by a medical profession if you were carrying the 'flu'.  However, laboratory respiratory samples have to be taken, these being naso-pharyngeal ones with 3-4 days of you carrying it.

What is the difference between a cold and influenza?

"The flu" is a severe, sometimes life-threatening illness, particularly in the elderly and those with a chronic condition.

INFLUENZA - sudden onset

• Moderate to severe illness lasting 7-10 days
• Fever (usually high)
• Shivering
• Muscle aches
• Headache (may be severe)
• Dry cough, may become moist
• Can suffer severe complications (pneumonia)
• Bed rest essential
  

A COLD

• Mild illness
• Mild fever
• A runny nose
• Muscle pain uncommon
• Mild headache (congested sinuses)
• Sometimes a cough
• No vaccine available.

77% of Influenza sufferers show no symptoms of having the illness, but can easily spread it to others.  One in four New Zealanders are infected with influenza each year and it can be fatal for some. Unsuspecting flu-carriers can unknowingly pass on the virus to someone with a weaker immune system and someone vulnerable within the elderly or young population. Children can pass on the virus for a longer period than adults of more than 7 days. They have weaker maturing immune systems and are our widest spreader of the illness.

If we immunize 1.2 million people in NZ annually, more than 25% of the community will be protected. Please take a moment and think about this data and I hope it will help you make your decision wisely. This year a Quadrivalent Vaccine is being offered and it takes the usual two weeks for your body to develop protection against the influenzas. They are:

A/Michigan/45/2015(H1N1) pdmo9 like virus

A/Singapore/INFMH-16-0019/2016 (H3N2)-like virus 

B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus

B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus

ASH National Year 10 Smoking Survey

I have attached the ASH Year 10 Snapshot, which is an annual cross-sectional census of New Zealand 14 and 15-year-old school students’ smoking prevalence. This national survey forms part of the Ministry of Health’s public health monitoring programme and all schools with Year 10 students are invited to participate. Kaiapoi High School has taken part since the survey began.

The Snapshot shows that Kaiapoi High School's smoking rates have decreased over the years, which is fantastic to see.

Jenny Shurville, School Nurse