0
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
What is the consequences of the common cold?
The cold will eventually go away and have antibodies for the next time a cold comes. However, there are over 100 types of colds so the antibodies will only work for the specific cold that you got.
No matter how you look at it, the temperature of your environment doesn't cause sickness. However, it can weaken your body's immune system and make you more susceptible to sickness. So, for instance, a child plays in the rain with some friends and catches a cold. His mother would be wrong to blame it on the rain - it is more likely that one of his friends recently had a cold and passed it on to her otherwise healthy son while they were playing and his immunity to colds was weakened by playing in the rain. Of course, there always exceptions. Heat strokes and hypothermia can cause extreme exhaustion or, when not immediately treated, death. In extreme situations where one is endangered by heat or cold, one's body will slowly cease functioning. If someone is 'rescued' as their body is starting to shut down, it could be said that they are "sick" but in reality, it is that they were on their way to death.
Are flu vaccines always affective?
It often does, especially for the seasonal flu strains that mutate easily and rapidly, but often make such small changes at each mutation, that they are still vulnerable to the immune system's antibodies produced for the original strain that the vaccine contained.
They will not help as readily (or at all) to prevent a different type or subtype of flu, but a change in the strain often does not negate the effectiveness of the antibodies created for a different but very similar strain.
This is partially how the epidemiologists choose the strains that they use to make vaccines for seasonal flus; they choose the virus strains that are most similar to the majority of the strains that are circulating in a population and expected to be primarily causing the next seasonal flu outbreaks. They plan on the strain they choose being similar enough to the majority of strain mutations that year to protect in a broader scope than just the one strain used in the vaccine.
What are the Total number of Swine Flu victims in US?
Two, one was a small child visiting from Mexico. The other was a 33 year old female that had recently given birth to a healthy child.
Did 6 million Americans die of Spanish Flu in 1918?
No. The 1918 flu killed 500,000 Americans and over 20 million worldwide.
The black phlegm is caused caused by tar being built up in the lungs. This is caused by exsessive smoking or coming in to contact with smoke regularly
Can flu infection be prevented if you do not get flu shots?
Yes. Each year many people do not catch the flu. Some have been immunized, some have been careful to wash their hands thoroughly and frequently, and some simply were not exposed to the flu virus.
Is it good to drink soda if your throat hurts?
No. It is never 'good' to drink soda. But if you refuse to give it up, then at least don't drink it when your health is low. If your throat hurts, pouring acid down it (which is what soda is - chemicals and acid) won't help! It will hinder your body's ability to recover and will keep your throat sore longer.
Hope that helps!
How much time did it take to cure swine flu?
As long at 7-10 days! or as soon as 3-5 days, just depends. Everyone seems to responding a bit different.
Did anyone yet recover from swine flu?
Yes, in fact only a very low percentage of people who have gotten this flu strain have not recovered.
It is at present continuing to be a mild influenza virus, but because it has the potential to mutate to a more virulent strain, as other epidemic and pandemic flu viruses have in the past, future waves of the disease could become more deadly. This happened in the 1918 pandemic of the Spanish Flu. For those reasons, it is continuing to be advised by the health organizations across the world that all precautions remain in place and prevention techniques continue to be employed.
Are all influenza Type A viruses the Swine Flu?
No, the pandemic A-H1N1/09 "swine flu" is just one of many Type A influenza strains. It is also one of many H1N1 flu subtypes. Besides Type A influenzas, there are also influenza Types B and C in humans.
How is the scarlet fever different from the flu?
While there are some similarities between the symptoms of COVID-19 and the flu (most notably fever and dry cough) one of the biggest differences is that we know significantly less about COVID-19. But here is what we do know:
- COVID-19 is more infectious than the flu. The “basic reproduction number,” or R0, of an infection is the average number of people who catch it from a single infected person. The flu has an R0 value of 1.3, while the R0 value of COVID-19 is estimated to be much higher.
- Right now, COVID-19 seems more likely to kill than the flu. While the exact fatality rate of COVID-19 is not yet known, it appears to be much deadlier than the flu. Influenza has a mortality rate of 0.1 percent, and current estimates of COVID-19’s fatality rate range from 1.4 percent to 3.4 percent.
- There is currently no vaccine or treatment for COVID-19. Unlike seasonal flu, there is no widely available vaccine to protect against COVID-19 infection. Similarly, there are no antivirals to help to reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of the disease.
For more information on this ever-developing situation, consult the CDC’s page dedicated to COVID-19, found here.
Can you get vomiting and diarrhea from the flu shot?
No. The "stomach flu" is not actually a type of influenza, it is a misnomer. There is currently no vaccine for the virus that does cause this gastroenteritis (usually a norovirus) called "stomach flu". It is actually viral gastroenteritis, also sometimes called "Norwalk Flu." Therefore, the seasonal flu vaccination protects against an entirely different type of virus. In addition, it can not give you the stomach flu (or any type of flu) since it is made from inactivated or weakened virus particles that are not able to make you sick. Sometimes the influenza viruses themselves can cause vomiting and other GI symptoms along with the respiratory disease and therefore, it may not be the "stomach flu" causing those symptoms if you have other symptoms of the respiratory disease of the flu.
Resting would be better since your body is already stressed while fighting the flu and you will put unnecessary strain on your systems if you do strenuous activities. Jogging and other exercises that cause perspiration are also not a good idea when you are experiencing symptoms of a disease that can cause fever and dehydration. Take a short break from the exercise and rest in bed for the fastest way to get over the flu.
How many people have died from Avian Flu compared to Swine Flu?
A relatively low number of people have died from Avian flu. It is transmitted only from bird to human, not from person to person, unlike the Swine flu that is a very rapidly spreading virus from person to person with over 57 million cases in the US alone. The death rate for swine flu is below that of the seasonal flu. Although the number of cases of Avian flu in humans is low so far, the mortality rate from the H5N1 Avian flu is approximately 50%, it is an extremely deadly virus. Luckily so far the case numbers are still low, especially in the Western Hemisphere.
You keep being sick then getting hot and cold?
You don't necessarily need to be sick to get cold sweat. This is mainly associated with a person that is experiencing some sort of anxiety or fear. Some persons have seen this happen only at a particular time if day when face with a certain situation. Also, if you are taking any medication it is best you eat solid meal before taking them since this to can bring on a cold sweat in the form of an anxiety attach.Some other causes of cold sweat maybe migraine, hypertension, AIDS (Please check if needed), heart or immune disorders and so on. So if you continue to have the cold sweat and you are not showing any symptoms of any sickness it is best you go see a doctor. Just in case of anything.
How do viruses reproduce compared to bacteria?
Viruses replicate inside body cells, using the host cell to do the work and provide the materials for reproduction. Bacteria reproduce outside body cells and, since, unlike viruses, they are living organisms, bacteria are able to do the work and production of new bacteria without a need for a host.
A description of the 'Lytic Cycle', the process that some types of viruses follow in reproduction, is given in the related questions below for more detail of the process of reproduction of some viruses inside body cells.
Can the flu cause a miscarriage?
No it doesn't cause a miscarriage. But it does make you hypertensive I believe the long phrase is. You will need to be put on drip in a and e to keep fluid wise down. I'm a nurse and at risk of getting norovirus and I know for a fact it doesn't cause a miscarriage. Miscarriages occure when the fetus has chromosone abnormalities really early on in pregnancy.
Can you catch a cold from sitting in a cold room for hours every day?
No, unless it is cold enough for you to get hypothermic or if you are hovering close to other people who carry a virus you catch when you are trying to stay warm. You do not get a cold or the flu from being cold in an office or outside or in a computer room kept cold, etc. They are caused by viruses. You only catch a cold or flu from a virus, not from the temperature.
What to eat when you have a fever?
If you're running a fever, you should probably stay with clear liquids like water, tea, apple juice, ginger ale (room temperature) bread and buttermilk. According to WebMD, when a body is running a fever it is also dehydrating and needs fluids such as water, soups, and juices. Nothing was mentioned about bread and dairy products, so I respectfully disagree with those suggestions.
How can you avoid catching stomach flu from someone else?
Much of the human immune system is located within the digestive track. One of the best ways an individual can prevent getting sick (including a Stomach Bug) is to frequently wash their hands, and avoid putting their hands in their eyes and in their mouths.
Is it ok to get a flu shot if you have an infection?
Yes, they are one of the groups at highest risk of catching the disease and of having more severe complications from the flu. As soon as the vaccine is made available to them each year, they are encouraged to get the vaccine.
They should not use the vaccines that contain the live attenuated viruses, however. This includes the nasal mist that is approved in the US for use in healthy people aged 2 - 49. The flu shots that are approved for use in the US are made from inactivated viruses and are therefore the ones recommended for immunocompromised people. Always check with your health care professional to be sure that you are a candidate for vaccines, since each patient's care can vary due to their disease process or condition that has left them with suppressed immune systems.
People who are immuno-suppressed may have a less than optimum response to the vaccines due to their condition or their medications, therefore, they should continue to practice all the precautions for avoiding infection even after they have received a vaccination, just in case they are not fully protected by the vaccination.
People who are in close contact with, and caregivers for, the immuno-compromised patients should also avoid using the live attenuated virus vaccines, since there is a small, but possible, chance for the virus in the live vaccine to revert or mutate to one capable of making the immuno-suppressed person ill if they are exposed to a person who has been just vaccinated with the live variety of vaccine.
