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Cold and Flu
Questions and answers about the "Common Cold"; symptoms in the upper respiratory tract like sneezing, scratchy throat, and runny nose, but adults don't typically have fevers. Colds are usually caused by the rhinovirus (up to 40% of colds), or Coronaviruses (about 20%), but there are more than 200 viruses that can cause the common cold. Also questions about the seasonal flu, also called "regular flu", caused mostly by Type A and Type B Influenza viruses. Flu starts with similar symptoms as a cold only it hits faster and harder and usually includes fever in adults. Although the "stomach flu" is a common term, it is not a real diagnosis. The proper medical term for stomach flu is gastroenteritis (an intestinal disease, sometimes viral but also bacterial), it is often mistaken for influenza because the flu can sometimes include vomiting and diarrhea.
4,331 Questions
Why does flu cause joint aches?
While influenza is a virus that specifically targets the respiratory tract, it does have an impact on the total body causing fatigue, fever, and muscle and joint aches.
Joint aches occur from a form of mild arthritisthat occurs with influenza. There are over 100 causes of arthritis, and a viral origin is one of these causes. In arthritis related to viral infections, immune complexes that form as a result of the body's attempt to rid itself of the virus, may be deposited in the joints and result in a temporary arthritis. In this case, the virus itself does not settle in the cells, rather the body's own immune response to the virus causes the joint achiness. Once the virus is gone, the body's immune response settles down.
In general, arthritis resulting from a viral infection such as influenza:
- Generally affects joints throughout the body
- Often felt as joint achiness, rather than joint
swelling, redness or tenderness
- Usually is accompanied by a mild fever
- Often begins gradually following viral infection
- Not cured by antibiotics. It usually goes away on its own (14)
Can you catch cold virus immediately after recovering from a cold?
Yes. Becase your immunesystem is allready low and trying to recover after defeating the cold, so you end up more receptive to bacterias and such.
Can the same cold virus cause different symptoms in different people?
Yes. Some people can be sick but never feel it at all, while others can be laid out completely by this same cold or flu. It just depends on that person's body and how it reacts.
If your boyfriend gets cold feet and runs will he possibly change his mind and come back?
I seriously doubt it. Don't waste your time on him. Life's too short to wish it away on someone who didnt love you enough.
Can inanimate objects spread the common cold?
cold viruses can be spread through inanimate objects (door knobs, telephones, toys) that become contaminated with the virus.
Does percocet help with a bad cough?
It is not prescribed for this, but it will, in fact, help with a cough, a phenomenon common to all opioids.
What is the cure for sore throat in Marapets?
a citrus mug cures a sore throat, i hope you'll find one :)
As a matter of fact, yes it can! The way the head develops as a foetus means that pain from the ear can be referred to the throat and vice versa.
If the fan blew cold air into the ear for some time and irritated pain receptors there, your brain may interpret it as a sore throat.
Of course, it could also be a coincidence, and you may just have a sore throat from a viral infection.
Can tooth decay pus transferred in saliva cause the flu or cold to develop?
No, cold and flu are viral diseases. Tooth decay is caused by bacteria and the pus is a mixture of white blood cells from the immune system and those bacteria.
== No, you most likely do not have the swine flu. You probably have an allergic reaction to house dust. This is a common allergy and can be treated easily with a prescription from your doctor to Flonase or a similar local steroid or antihistamine medication. Keep track of your temperature, typically allergies will not give you a fever and swine flu will. Check the related question for the list of symptoms of swine flu, a link is provided below.
(Comment moved from answer section to discussion section.)
Has any one died from swine flu in Australia 2009?
So far now in Australia the date is 23rd June so, NOW 2 people have died from Australia . Soon there will be more. Hope not!! Cause im in Australia.
Pharyngitis is the medical name for a sore throat. Pharyngitis is contagious through direct contact with mucus, nasal discharge, or saliva.
When is it safe to return to work after Swine Flu?
Update 10/26/09 from the Department of Homeland Security (see link below for information on the involvement of DHS with the H1N1/09 Pandemic):
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report from 9/19/09 indicates that the period of infectivity of A-H1N1/09 is longer than originally believed, and longer than that of the seasonal flu.
New studies on how long a person remains contagious back up the originally reported CDC guidelines that one should be suspected to be capable of spreading the Novel Swine Flu for one full week after the symptoms start or until 24 hours after the fever subsides [while taking no fever reducers] which ever is longer, rather than the most recent CDC guidelines that waiting for 24 hours after fever subsides without taking fever reducers is long enough.
In fact, the best determination can probably be made by how long the cough lasts.
The studies show that in some cases the virus remains in the nasal passages of patients for up to 16 days after symptoms begin. Below are some excerpts from the report:
When the coughing stops is probably a better sign of when a swine flu patient is no longer contagious, experts said after seeing new research that suggests the virus can still spread many days after a fever goes away.
Using a very sensitive test to detect virus in the nose or throat, [the study] found that 80 percent had it five days after symptoms began, and 40 percent seven days after. Some still harbored virus as long as 16 days later. How soon they started on antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu made a difference in how much virus was found, but not whether virus was present at all. . .
Doctors know that people can spread ordinary seasonal flu for a couple of days before and after symptoms start by studying virus that patients shed in mucus. The first such studies of swine flu are just coming out now, and they imply a longer contagious period for the novel bug."
Fall 2009 CDC updates recommendation:
CDC recommends that people with influenza-like illness remain at home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever or signs of a fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
This is a change from the previous recommendation that ill persons stay home for 7 days after illness onset or until 24 hours after the resolution of symptoms, whichever was longer.
July 2009 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:You should wait to return to work (or school) until after a full week from the onset of the first symptoms or until symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer.
Can the aching in hands and fingers be a symptom of pregnancy?
It's can be normal. Your joints and skin, everything are stretching and loosening. That could cause pain. But you should talk to your doctor on your next visit. They may be able to give you something that can be done to help the pain. Or the pain and the pregnancy could have nothing to do with each other.
Is a head cold the same as emphysema?
No. A "head cold" is what some people call the "common cold" when it is presenting with mostly sinus and upper respiratory symptoms instead of with cough and more lung symptoms. Emphysema is a chronic obstructive lung disease also called COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) that is caused by smoke inhalation, cigarette smoking, pollution, and other damage to the lung tissue.
Stomach Flu germs last on computers for how long?
Those germs can last for several weeks before they die. The best thing for you to do is to clean the computer surfaces that you touch with your hands using virus-killing products, like alcohol wipes. Also, wash your hands often, and you should be able to avoid the transfer of viruses.
What country first developed the swine flu vaccine?
It was a collaborative effort among many different countries and the drug manufacturers plus the World Health Organization. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was instrumental in selecting and creating the seed stock for the viruses that were given to many of the drug companies making vaccines so they could grow strains that were the best match for the virus that was circulating at the time. There have been no significant mutations to date that would impact the immunity that the vaccines will give.
When you have the flu how do you get your energy back?
Don't let yourself get dehydrated. Stay well nourished with fruits, vegetables and lean protein. Rest as much as possible. Wait until your body overcomes the virus.
Can a cough from someone who is not sick get me sick?
It depends on your body immunity. A Cough actually can contain some microorganism, like viruses, or bacterias. They can transmit to you through the air. if you are in good form and not infected with HIV or have a complicated disease, then you will be fine and not sick.
Does the US 2012-2013 flu vaccine contain swine flu vaccine?
This year's vaccine does contain Type A, H1N1/09 vaccine made from the specific type (i.e., mutation) of the H1N1/09 virus that is expected to circulate in the US in flu season this year. That specific strain is called:
A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus
The vaccines made from the other two selected influenza strains that are in the 2012-2013 flu vaccines in the US contain:
A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)-like virus
B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus (from the B/Yamagata lineage of viruses)
you should be keeping ice on it-resting and taking your pain medication. if all those don't work, you should call your physician for advise-do not go back to the hospital.
How many days should you wait before you go to the doctor with a low grade temperature?
If you've had a persistant low-grade temperature with no explanation for more than three days, I'd recommend going to the doctor.
Did a 22 month old die from swine flu in Texas?
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services report of 10 June 2009:
"Six people with H1N1 flu have died in Texas. A man and a woman in El Paso County and a girl from Fort Bend County died in late May. A Cameron County woman and a Nueces County man died in early May, and a young boy from Mexico City died in a Houston-area hospital in April."
