Latest case data: Mycoplasma pneumonia↓Influenza↑! Shanghai doctors make it clear: If you have not been vaccinated, oseltamivir is recommended for short-term chemical prevention→

As winter arrives, along with the cold air comes the activity of respiratory viruses. Recently, data from the Children's Specialist Hospital showed that the number of cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae has gradually decreased, but the influenza virus has taken over.

In October, Shanghai Children's Hospital

The influenza positive rate is about 20%

This proportion has now risen to 40%.

So, if your child has flu-like symptoms

How to determine if it is infected

Flu or another bacteria or virus?

The reporter interviewed several experts

Summarized the most comprehensive flu season response strategy

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Flu ≠ Common Cold

According to the latest statistics, over the past two months, the influenza-positive rate among children with influenza-like symptoms in Shanghai has doubled to 40% to 50%.

At a press conference held by the National Health Commission yesterday, experts emphasized that influenza is not a common cold, but an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus, which usually has a more acute onset. High-risk groups such as infants, young children, and the elderly may also develop serious complications such as pneumonia after being infected with influenza.

Is it feasible to self-test for antigens?

Have symptoms

Antigen negative , it is best to go to the hospital

Because the queues in hospitals are indeed quite long recently, some parents choose to purchase influenza antigens for testing themselves in order to save their children from trouble and reduce cross infection.

Director Cao Qing of the Infectious Diseases Department at Shanghai Children's Medical Center said, "If the antigen is positive and there are also patients with influenza at home or school, then it is basically confirmed to be influenza; but if the symptoms are flu-like but the antigen test is negative, then be careful, as the possibility of influenza infection cannot be ruled out . In this case, it is actually recommended to go to the hospital for a rapid nucleic acid test."

Some people may ask, since the accuracy of antigen testing is not that high, why do pediatricians in hospitals sometimes also do antigen testing?

Yin Yong, director of the respiratory department at Shanghai Children's Medical Center, said: "It is not as simple as taking medicine if the test result is positive and not taking medicine if the test result is negative. If the test result is negative, the doctor can start treatment based on the relative situation; but if the test result is positive, for example, the white blood cell count is particularly high, then we should be careful about the possibility of mixed infection . In addition to influenza, we should also be careful about related complications. Influenza can sometimes cause otitis media, sinusitis, tracheitis, and even pneumonia."

Is it too late to get vaccinated now? Not too late. Getting vaccinated now can protect you until the second half of the epidemic period . Chen Wenjuan, chief physician of the infectious department of Shanghai Children's Medical Center, said, "The WHO recommends that the best time to get the flu vaccine is before the end of October each year, so that you can cover the entire flu season. But it doesn't mean that there is no value in getting vaccinated in December now. In fact, getting vaccinated at this time can still protect you until the second half of the epidemic period . The flu vaccine is recommended to be taken once a year because its antibodies last for 6 to 8 months."

Can oseltamivir be used as a preventive medication for influenza?

Oseltamivir is recommended for short-term chemoprevention

If you are infected, you should take influenza antiviral drugs as soon as possible within 48 hours. According to the national monitoring of influenza drug resistance, the influenza drug "oseltamivir" can control the current prevalent strains, and medical institutions have sufficient supplies of drugs. So, can oseltamivir be used as a preventive drug for influenza?

Yin Yong, director of the respiratory department at Shanghai Children's Medical Center, said: "If there are multiple cases in a class or school, or among family members, and if you have not received the flu vaccine of the season, then short-term chemoprevention with oseltamivir is recommended, using half the conventional treatment dose but twice the conventional treatment time ."

Meituan, JD.com, Taobao and others put rapid test kits on shelves in Shanghai

Can detect influenza A, influenza B, etc.

On December 11, the service scope of Meituan’s home rapid testing in Shanghai. Screenshot of Meituan’s food delivery app

Winter is the peak season for respiratory infectious diseases, and rapid testing reagents have been launched on multiple platforms .

On December 11, the reporter learned from Meituan that the "Meituan Medicine Purchase Home Rapid Testing" service has been launched in parts of Pudong, Shanghai, Baoshan District and other places. The first batch of pilot stores have received orders and completed the testing that morning. It is expected that the service will continue to expand its coverage this week.

The reporter searched on the same day and found that e-commerce platforms such as JD.com and Taobao also allow orders to purchase rapid home test reagents, which can detect influenza A and influenza B.

Ele.me said that they are also preparing to launch a home rapid testing service, which is expected to be launched soon.

Meituan Medicine said that its home rapid test kit can detect 12 common respiratory infection viruses or bacteria such as influenza A, influenza B, and mycoplasma, and can detect viruses 2 days earlier than antigen testing. The first order for Shanghai home rapid testing was placed 8 minutes after the store went online. "The user saw this service on Meituan's medical consultation and medicine purchase channel and placed an order directly." A person in charge of Meituan Medicine said that since the service had just been launched, the user who placed the order first completed the sampling process at around 11 o'clock and is expected to receive the test results at around 13 o'clock.

That afternoon, the reporter opened the "Medical Treatment and Medicine Purchase" channel of the Meituan Takeaway App and located an address in Jinqiao, Pudong, which showed that there was no testing service at the address.

Afterwards, the reporter changed the location to an address in Huamu Street, Pudong, and searched for "home rapid test" to enter the test special page. The page shows that it can detect 12 viruses and bacteria, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae, influenza A virus, influenza B virus, and new coronavirus. After clicking on the test, the purchase page is entered. A box of respiratory sampling boxes costs 69.9 yuan, and it is expected to be delivered within 90 minutes after placing an order. Meituan said that 69.9 yuan is the first order price for a complete test service.

The reporter then set the location to an address on Jiangning Road in Jing'an District, and found that "the order has been sold out. Please try again at the next hour."

Meituan Medicine said that after users place an order, the page will be updated with content such as "Submitting for inspection", "Testing", and "Report generated". About 3 hours later, they will receive a test report, which clearly shows whether 12 respiratory infection-related viruses and bacteria have been detected. This home rapid testing service has been launched in Beijing and Guangzhou.