By Dawn Tay

GOT the sniffles? You won't be alone - the peak flu season has arrived in Singapore.

Every year, about 600 Singaporeans die from flu and flu-related complications, says a study done between 1996 and 2002 by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Singapore General Hospital.

World Health Organisation experts believe an influenza epidemic is imminent. They estimate that the pandemic could quickly result in 2 million to 7.4 million deaths globally, overwhelming existing medical facilities and vaccine supplies.

It might also take several months before new vaccines can be developed.

Around one million people worldwide died in the last flu outbreak in 1968.

Unlike in temperate countries, flu is present all year-round in Singapore - with seasonal peaks from November to January, and April to June.

But what can people do to reduce their chances of being hit by the flu bug? my paper finds out from three doctors.

They are Dr Daniel Chan, vice-president of ParkwayHealth Primary Care Network; Dr Clarence Yeo from Killiney Family and Wellness Clinic; and Well Family Clinic and Surgery's Dr Alvin Wong.

Flu or cold? How does one tell the difference?

Similar symptoms between the two infections create some confusion, but a simple rule of thumb is to measure the severity of the symptoms.

Dr Wong explained: "If you've got a cold and there was a $2 note flying around outside, you'd run out to catch it. If you've the flu, you'd look at it, groan and go back to bed."

If all you have are the sniffles, a cough, and an itchy throat, it's probably a cold. Expect symptoms to disappear after a few days.

Flu symptoms are nastier - like high fevers (39 to 41 deg C), joint and muscle pains, lethargy, coughs and sore throats that can take up to two weeks to clear.

While complications arising from a cold are rather rare, the elderly and young children are vulnerable to developing complications from a flu.

Is it true that there is no cure for colds and flu?

The flu and cold are caused by different families of viruses, which cannot be killed with medication. Only the body's immune system can get rid of the viruses. Doctors use a variety of medicines, such as antibiotics, to treat the symptoms.

Over 200 different viruses can cause colds and there are no vaccines. The most common is the "nose" virus, responsible for around 50 per cent of all colds.

Said Dr Wong: "These cold viruses are in regular flux and change with time. It's impractical and almost impossible to develop vaccines against all of them."

There are three types of flu viruses - type A, B and C. Type A viruses are the most virulent and cause the most severe symptoms in humans.

Are flu vaccines 100 per cent effective?

Most vaccines last up to a year and are not foolproof - those in Singapore are 70- to 80-per-cent effective, said Dr Yeo and Dr Wong.

There are two major types of flu, the "northern" and "southern" strain, which includes the deadly H3N2 - the most predominant strain in Singapore.

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