Version 1
: Received: 2 October 2024 / Approved: 3 October 2024 / Online: 3 October 2024 (15:21:43 CEST)
How to cite:
Gumede, T.; Sineke, N.; Dlamini, S.; Ranelo, Y.; Apalata, T.; Faye, L. M. A Comprehensive Study on Flu Severity: Symptoms, Duration, and Management Strategies. Preprints2024, 2024100251. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0251.v1
Gumede, T.; Sineke, N.; Dlamini, S.; Ranelo, Y.; Apalata, T.; Faye, L. M. A Comprehensive Study on Flu Severity: Symptoms, Duration, and Management Strategies. Preprints 2024, 2024100251. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0251.v1
Gumede, T.; Sineke, N.; Dlamini, S.; Ranelo, Y.; Apalata, T.; Faye, L. M. A Comprehensive Study on Flu Severity: Symptoms, Duration, and Management Strategies. Preprints2024, 2024100251. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0251.v1
APA Style
Gumede, T., Sineke, N., Dlamini, S., Ranelo, Y., Apalata, T., & Faye, L. M. (2024). A Comprehensive Study on Flu Severity: Symptoms, Duration, and Management Strategies. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0251.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Gumede, T., Teke Apalata and Lindiwe M Faye. 2024 "A Comprehensive Study on Flu Severity: Symptoms, Duration, and Management Strategies" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.0251.v1
Abstract
Background: Influenza is a highly contagious viral virus that affects millions of people globally each year, causing major morbidity, mortality, and economic consequences. Despite vaccine availability, seasonal flu outbreaks continue, exacerbated by virus mutations and varied transmission patterns. The Eastern Cape region of South Africa faces specific obstacles when it comes to flu management, such as limited healthcare access and dependence on traditional treatments. Methods: Patients from various backgrounds in the rural Eastern Cape who had flu and consented to be participants of the study were surveyed to assess symptom severity, duration, and management options. To compare the efficacy of medical treatments with home cures, data was analysed using descriptive statistics and independent t-tests. Results: Symptom severity ranged from mild to severe, and the average duration of symptoms varied according to the therapy approach chosen. Medical therapies, including antiviral drugs, were found to lessen symptom severity and duration, whereas home cures provided symptomatic relief but were less successful in severe cases. Symptom severity differed significantly between therapy methods (p < 0.05).Conclusions: The study emphasises the significance of prompt medical attention in managing influenza symptoms, especially in high-risk individuals. It also emphasises the importance of increasing access to healthcare in the Eastern Cape in order to improve outcomes for flu patients.
Public Health and Healthcare, Public Health and Health Services
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
