Asthma sufferers in Australia have been warned about a bad cold and flu season ahead. 58 percent of the susceptible population is already experiencing asthma attacks since the start of the season according to The National Asthma Council Australia (NACA) on Monday. They went on to say that nearly half of this population is still not vaccinated against seasonal flu.
The NACA surveyed 210 adult asthma suffers and found that nearly 83 percent of them had exacerbation of symptoms like breathlessness, wheezing and cough in the past month. However, 43 per cent were undecided about visiting their GP for a lung health check and 60 per cent did not have an up-to-date written asthma action plan. Last season 70 percent of asthmatics developed flu and of these more than 60 percent took more than a week to recover.
NACA director, associate Professor Peter Wark said, “This new review of asthma sufferers suggests they are being hit hard…it is imperative anyone with asthma visits their GP within the next seven to 10 days for a lung health check, including flu vaccination, before the depth of winter hits.” “It is critical for asthma sufferers to understand they are at risk of serious complications from influenza such as pneumonia which usually requires hospitalization…Recent published data shows one-third of influenza (H1N1) admissions into Australian Intensive Care Units (ICU) last flu season were those with chronic lung conditions – notably asthma,” he said.
GP Links Wide Bay chairman Paul Neeskens also said that complications related to winter affect the children and elderly more than others. He said the vaccination was available at no cost for people aged over 65 or those at risk.
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