The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday urged the public to beware of flu-like symptoms and seek medical attention as soon as possible, after a 27-year-old woman, surnamed Chen (陳), was in a coma for 40 days due to serious flu complications.
Chen, after experiencing symptoms including a fever, headaches and coughing, was prescribed medicine by a clinic, but began coughing blood the next day and was taken to a hospital emergency room, where she was immediately hospitalized in an intensive care unit for pneumonia and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), the agency said, adding that she subsequently fell into a coma.
Chen said she thought her relatively young age would have prevented her from receiving a flu vaccination, adding that she was shocked to learn that she had twice been declared as being in a critical condition during her coma.
“I was in a coma and did not know what happened for 40 days,” Chen said.
Chiu Ming-huang (邱銘煌), a physician at Cathay General Hospital who treated Chen, said it only took about three to four days for Chen’s flu infection to progress into serious complications.
While everyone is at risk of serious flu complications, people older than 65, infants, pregnant women and those with chronic disease are at greater risk, Chiu said.
“Typical flu symptoms include a high fever, sore throat, runny nose, body aches and muscle pain,” he said. “If people experience symptoms such as coughing blood, chest pain or low blood pressure, they should seek medical attention immediately, as those are warning signs of serious complications.”
Treatment is more effective if patients receive anti-viral medication within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, Chiu said.
CDC Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said that 194 serious flu complication cases have been reported since July, an about 21 percent increase from the same period last year.
In the past month, 91 cases have been reported, an about five-fold increase from last year, Chuang said, urging people to get flu vaccinations as early as possible during peak flu season.
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