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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
What does it mean when you have a severe sore throat?
It could mean any number of things, since mild colds and flu infections can give a sore throat or it could mean a bacterial infection. Sore throats can be caused by low humidity in the air in winter when heaters dry the air. And they can be caused by allergies, post nasal drip, and other irritations to the mucous tissue (like smoking can cause). There are also more unusual conditions that may start with a sore throat. Try some warm salt water as a gargle and see if it soothes it some (it may take several uses before you notice the improvement). If this persists, you should seek medical attention from a health professional.
If you are a smoker, it could mean your body is trying to tell you to something, like: "HEY BRAIN, THIS IS YOUR BODY SPEAKING! I'M A LITTLE UPSET AT HOW MUCH YOU ABUSE ME! I WISH YOU WOULD STOP!"
In what US cities has swine flu been reported?
The states in the US hardest hit to date (May 29, 2009) with deaths from Swine Flu are:
* Arizona 540 cases -- 3 deaths * Illinois 1002 cases -- 2 deaths * Missouri 29 cases -- 1 death * New York 553 cases -- 4 deaths * Texas 1403 cases -- 3 deaths * Utah 122 cases -- 1 death * Washington 575 cases -- 1 death
Is yogurt good to eat when you have a cold?
Fruits or fruit juices that are acidic (orange juice, pineapple juice, etc.) are excellent for cutting the phlegm in your throat. Eat when you feel like eating.
If you have the flu then it is better to go 24 hours without eating, drink plenty of water and rest. The next day eat chicken soup, soda crackers (unsalted) and when you gain your strength a little add a chicken sandwich to along with your soup. Jello, puddings, etc., are fine if made with water.
If you can't eat well from either your cold or flu, then you can get an electrolyte drink from your local pharmacist which will level your system off.
The cold is a virus, so orange juice and other liquids containing vitamin C should be consumed to aid the strength of your immune system in combating the virus.
Why do doctors recommend that people get a flu shot each new flu season?
Because each season the flu shot contains a new range of flu virus strains to protect against that year's likely flu types. The types are continuously changing because a virus such as the influenza mutates quickly, making it difficult for the immune system to recognize and destroy the new strains, and necessitating a new vaccine.
Can you get a flu shot if you have shingles?
It would be good to speak to your health care professional about that. It depends mostly on the stage of the shingles at the time and if you are taking any anti-viral medications for the shingles.
When you have a fever why dont you sweat?
The purpose of a fever is to raise your body temperature to make your interior environment inhospitable to pathogens that are designed to thrive in your normal body temperature. Sweating is the body's cooling mechanism. Therefore, when you have a fever, your body purposely inhibits sweating to maintain that heat.
How long should you wait before blowing nose after flu mist is administered?
It is best to wait a short while before you do so enough of the mist can be absorbed into the mucous tissues for a proper immune response. Ask the clinician who gives you the vaccination how long you should wait, sometimes in colder weather the blood supply to the nose is affected which can delay the absorption.
Do viruses cause vomiting but never diarrhea?
Viruses can cause both vomiting and diarrhea. The "Norwalk Flu" is a name given to what is also commonly called "Stomach Flu", which is gastroenteritis caused by viruses. With it you can get nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea as well as a fever and aches. Many other viruses also can cause these symptoms such as the flu viruses. However, usually there are also obvious respiratory symptoms with influenza that are more severe and last longer than the GI system signs and symptoms.
Is influenza caused by virus or bacteria?
Well, since i am a biologist, PROFESSIONALLY, the sner to your inquiry is pollo.
Sincerely,
Thaddeus M. Rotwiler PHD.
How many people did spanish influenza kill?
Thought to have started in the trenches of the end of WWI the Spanish flu reached pandemic status in the summer of 1918 & within 8 months was almost over.
The 1918 flu pandemic (January 1918 - December 1920) was an unusually deadly Pandemic which infected 500 million people across the world, including remote Pacific islands and the Arctic, and killed 20 to 50 million of them-1 to 3 percent of the world's population at the time-making it one of the deadliest In human history far more died in the Spanish flue Pandemic that from the Black plague in europe 500 years earlier.
To be very specific, most did not die from the Flu Virus, Most died from getting Pnuemonia caused by the flu.By the end of 1918
Where can the common cold be found?
In your nasal cavities. The cause the other terrible feelings and conditions.
Why even if a person recovers from a cold that person could get a cold again?
a person could catch A cold again because their immune system is weak but the WON'T catch the same cold again because their anti-bodies will have killed the infection and will know that it is the same germ again and kill it.
What is the abbreviation for influenza?
There is none since "flu" is already an abbreviation for "influenza".
Does the flu shot prevent really bad colds?
No, the virus that causes a common cold is different than the virus that causes influenza. However, for some people, the symptoms for some types of flu are very similar to the symptoms of a really bad cold, but the vaccine just doesn't work to provide immunity for colds. There currenlty is no vaccine for colds.
You can only get it from your doctor, It is not an over the counter drug.
How many deaths did the swine flu cause?
The swine flu outbreak in humans in 1976 at Fort Dix, New Jersey involved four soldiers who were previously healthy but contracted the virus. They developed pneumonia, diagnosed by X-ray, with other symptoms of the flu. One died as a result. The virus was thought to have circulated approximately a month in the close quarters of the group in basic training but not outside the group, then it disappeared.
What happens during a flu pandemic?
Answer this question…
A strain of flu infects many people all over the world
How does a fever help your body when your sick?
Many disease causing bacteria in the body require human body temperature to survive and flourish. A fever is a rise in the temperature of the body. The higher temperatures can kill the harmful bacteria resulting in the body being freed of the disease.
Why is the name changed from swine flu to H1N1 influenza?
From a July 7, 2009 Press Briefing by World Health Organization's Dr. Fukuda, he said that WHO has decided to call Influenza A, Novel H1N1: Pandemic H1N1/09 Virus (although, as of early August 2009 this is not yet being consistently used).
As you know, since the emergence of the pandemic, the name of the virus has been a difficult issue for many reasons. In the past, we have seen how the naming of viruses by location can stigmatize those locations and we have also seen in this and in other episodes where associating the virus with one animal species or another, can really cause both anxiety and then fears about food and in this particular instance, about pork. So, in recognition of those issues, what WHO, FAO and OIE did, actually some weeks ago, was to get together several of the experts who work in these organizations and with many of the laboratory experts who work with these organizations, and then we had a meeting - a virtual meeting - in which these issues were discussed and one of the things that we wanted to do was make sure that any naming of the virus was scientifically accurate but also would avoid any kind of adverse reactions to the name or to minimize those as much as possible. Based on those discussions, what the experts decided, calling this a pandemic H1N1/09 virus was a good way to distinguish it from the current seasonal H1N1 viruses and to do so, in a way which was scientifically sound, but also would avoid some of the stigma associated with other options.
Can you get the flu from being in the cold?
Yes, it is possible but infrequent in otherwise healthy people. Usually the body is infected with only one virus at a time. But, unless you are immune to that particular virus, it is possible to become infected at any time, regardless of whether you are already sick.
The immune system produces various antibodies, so if you are sick with a cold your immune system has already started producing more antibodies, some of which indiscriminately attack all foreign invaders. This is probably why, once you are sick with a cold, you are less likely to get the flu or anything else at the same time since the immune system has already been alerted and is working hard. However, it is not impossible, it has happened. You will know if you get both. Cold symptoms will pale in comparison to the flu and the flu will come on abruptly. What felt like just congestion and a runny nose will turn into a pounding headache, cold sweats, muscle aches and possible nausea. Moreover, the flu symptoms will probably end before the cold does.
How do you catch a cold without touching anyone WITH a cold?
You do something that brings down your immunesystem and your body ends up receptive to allsorts.
What is attenuated flu vaccine?
Attenuated simply means "weakened". An attenuated flu vaccine refers to vaccines made with live viruses (so you get a good immune response), but they have been weakened chemically so that they are unable to give you the flu.
There are two types of flu vaccines available in the US. What is called inactivated, inactive or "dead" vaccine and what is called "live", weakened/attenuated vaccine. The injectable vaccines (intradermal and intramuscular) are made with "dead" viruses and the nasal spray is made with "live" attenuated viruses.
How many people has already die from swine flu in the United stated?
There are two confirmed deaths. One was a child visiting a Texas family from Mexico. The other was a 33 year old female, whom recently went through childbirth.
Why the doctors put thermometre under the tongue at the time of fever?
There are a few different types of thermometers and a few different ways body temperature can be taken: - A tympanic thermometer measures the body temperature by taking a reading from the tympanic membrane in the ear. - The old mercury thermometers aren't used anymore, the risk of them breaking is too high. - Digital thermometers are about 15cm long and can measure oral, axillary or rectal temperature. They have plastic coverings to go over the top.
Even though it is rarely used (except in paediatrics), for obvious reasons, the rectal method of measuring body temperature is the most accurate.
