Physicians are taking more precaution when treating influenza H3N2 patients nowadays. They are doing that by using the telemedicine method when diagnosing patients that involve talking to them over the telephone or on computers. The reason for this technique of diagnosing patients is that the disease is highly infectious and lethal. Doctors fear that if those patients were to come to the clinic for tests and diagnosis, they might infect the ailing patients in the medical facility.
Doctors then recommend the most suitable treatment such as antiviral drugs through the telemedicine method after establishing that the patients have the H3N2 flu. They also advise the patient to send someone to the chemist for medication instead of going there themselves. That is to avoid spreading the contagious disease to other people that they may come in contact with at the drug store or on the way there. The patients should stay at home and exercise caution by washing hands regularly and disposing of used tissue paper carefully. They should also cover their mouths while sneezing and be extra careful around children.
The disease is also known to affect people differently depending on their ages. It is most prevalent among children due to their poor immunity. Doctors have also discovered that about 90% of adults who display symptoms of the disease usually end up testing positive for the infection. Additionally, some tests show negative results whereas the patients are suffering from the disease. That has made physicians rule out the need for carrying out a test. As a result, that has made the telemedicine method more common for diagnosing this type of disease. However, giving children a routine check-up for the disease is advisable since they tend to harbor large quantities of the deadly virus in the bodies that might take some time before they develop symptoms.
The benefits of the practice are that it saves patients the cost of undergoing unnecessary tests, and the costly visits to the doctor. It also prevents carriers of the virus from passing them to other people especially those who are ill. People with diseases such as asthma and diabetes are prone to contracting the H3N2 flu if they are exposed to it. That shows that telemedicine if an effective method of containing the spread of the H3N2 flu and other influenza strains.
The best way to prevent one from contracting the disease is by getting the seasonal vaccination. The vaccines can protect the recipient from certain strains of the illness such as H1N1 flu, H3N2 flu, and strain B.