Interview by Yuki Lei
As the peak period of influenza usually occurs between Christmas and Easter, i.e., from December through mid-April, general practitioner Adam Ieong Man King yesterday urged the public to wear their facemasks properly, maintain proper hygiene, namely frequent hand washing, and improve indoor air circulation by opening windows for at least half an hour each day.
Consequently, Dr Ieong said he expected the current flu peak to end in the middle of this month.
Dr Ieong made the remarks during an interview with The Macau Post Daily yesterday at a coffee shop in the city centre. He works for the Ieng Hong Medical Centre in Nape.
Dr Ieong also said that it was important for the public, especially senior citizens and children, to get vaccinated against the flu. He pointed out that these two groups of people are more likely to develop complications once they are infected with influenza, due to their often weak immune systems.
According to Dr Ieong, the number of people suffering from influenza has increased in Macau this year, especially among children.
Influenza infection in the city was at a low level during the three-year COVID-19 pandemic period, but the flu has not disappeared, Dr Ieong underlined, adding that thanks to the high awareness of the public in taking personal protection measures, fewer people were infected with the flu over the past three years.
Difference between flu & COVID-19
Dr Ieong said that people who are infected, regardless of whether it be influenza or COVID-19, may develop symptoms such as high fever, i.e., a temperature above 38 degrees Celsius, and muscle pain. Relatively speaking, according to Dr Ieong, the symptoms of the flu are more serious than those of the novel coronavirus.
Dr Ieong urged those who developed such symptoms to undergo a rapid antigen test (RAT) at home, if possible, to determine whether they are infected with the flu or COVID-19, before seeking treatment at a hospital or a clinic.
Difference between flu & cold
Dr Ieong said: “Based on my personal experience, people who suffer from influenza may easily feel tired and come down with high fever and muscle pain, but they may not have a sore throat.”
“The virus that causes the two diseases is different”, Dr Ieong said, pointing out that a cold is usually caused by a virus in the upper respiratory tract, while the flu is caused by influenza viruses A, B, C or D, which are “much more vicious”, and therefore, flu infectees usually suffer strong muscle pain and a high fever.
According to Dr Ieong, although they have different ways of spreading, the symptoms and treatments of the different influenza viruses are “actually the same”. He added that influenza virus B may usually just be localised in one area or community, while influenza virus A could spread to other regions or countries.
Dr Ieong urged people who suspect that they have been infected with the flu to see a doctor promptly, so as to avoid suffering from severe symptoms.
Meanwhile, speaking to the Chinese-language media on Monday, the public Conde de S. Januário Hospital Centre’s clinical director Lei Wai Seng said that since the beginning of this month the number of people seeking treatment at the emergency department had been on the rise, adding that at its peak, on average, about 1,050 people sought influenza treatment every day, an increase of about 60 percent compared with normal days.
Dr Lei noted that the number of patients dropped slightly before the Easter holiday, while the overall number of people seeking treatment remained at about 900 on Easter Sunday.
Undated file photo of Dr Adam Ieong Man King – Photo provided by Dr Ieong yesterday.
