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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
Vaccines are given by different methods, but most are intramuscular injections or "shots" and "jabs". These are given in the muscle using a syringe and needle.
For infants and young children, the injections are usually given in the large muscle at the outer side of the thigh or in the muscle in the buttocks. As children get older, they develop enough muscle tissue in their arms to get their shots, like most adults do, in the Deltoid muscle of the upper arm. However, the clinician giving the vaccination will make a determination on the proper site in each individual, based on their physical development. Most teens have arms muscles developed well enough to give injections like adults get, in the Deltoid muscle.
There are more and more vaccines being produced for oral or nasal administration these days, too, and many clinicians choose these less traumatic and less invasive methods for their younger patients. Most vaccines are only given to infants over 6 months old since their immune systems are not developed well enough until that time to be able to have a proper response to the vaccines.
How can you get a cold virus if you go outside on the cold without a coat?
No, you CAN'T can't catch a cold from being outside without a coat in cold weather. It might give you a better chance of catching a virus but will not automatticaly give you a cold. No, you CAN'T can't catch a cold from being outside without a coat in cold weather. It might give you a better chance of catching a virus but will not automatticaly give you a cold.
Does being out in cold weather make a fever worse?
Dry air dries out the mucous membranes in your nose and throat, making them more vulnerable to infection and reducing the rate at which they can throw off toxins and dead cells. This can occur in cold outdoor air, but is actually worse in warm, dry indoor furnace-heated air. The problem can be reduced by using a device that hydrates the air, or by wearing a scarf over the nose and mouth. Drinking more liquids than usual also helps.
No. It is often believed that colds and flu and other infectious diseases can be caused by or affected by cold weather, changes in temperatures, being wet outside, or having wet hair, etc. None of this is correct information.
People also often say that being cold affects your immune system so you are more susceptible to infections. This is also not correct. When this is discussed, it doesn't just mean feeling chilly or even getting "goosebumps" or shivering. Hypothermia can have negative effects on your entire body including the immune system, but just being cold is not hypothermia. When medical studies use that term, it is used to refer to a specific measurement of core body temperature much much below normal.
Hypothermia is not the same as being cold, it is a specific medical diagnosis.
The normal core body temperature is considered 98.6F (37.0 C). Our bodies easily maintain a normal and stable core body temperature in otherwise healthy people unless they suffer exposure in extreme weather. Hyopthermia is significantly different. Hypothermia facts:
- It is defined as a core body temperature that is at or below 95 F (35 C).
- Needs to be treated if body temperature goes below 95 F (35 C).
- Becomes life threatening below body temperatures of 90 F (32.2 C).
- Affects motor coordination through impact to the nervous system at 95 F.
- When the body temperature drops that low, at the start of a hypothermic condition, symptoms can include intense uncontrollable shaking and shivering, then if your body continues to get colder, the shivering stops when the core temperature gets between 90 F and 86 F.
- It causes heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure to rise during the first stages of hypothermia as your body tries to increase metabolism and warm itself, but these vital signs fall once the temperature gets 90°F (32.2°C).
- Creates coma at below 86 F.
- Heart rate becomes very irregular below 82 F and death can soon follow.
The term is not used just to mean that someone felt cold out in cold weather.
What are some symptoms of the cold or flu?
runny nose, cough, congestion, hoarseness, conjunctivitis, and fever.sore throat.
How many people in the US die from flu each year?
During seasonal epidemics of the influenza viruses, the tally of deaths world wide numbers in the hundreds of thousands annually. In pandemic years there can be millions who die of the viral disease.
Is it safe to take Tamiflu and penicillin at the same time?
The literature from the manufacturer of Tamiflu (oseltamivir) does not list that as a potential drug interaction problem. However, you should always notify your prescribing doctor if you are taking other medicines before you take any new prescriptions or use over the counter medicines with them.
The Tamiflu literature does state:
Information derived from pharmacology and pharmacokinetic studies of oseltamivir suggests that clinically significant drug interactions are unlikely.
No pharmacokinetic interactions have been observed when coadministering oseltamivir with amoxicillin, acetaminophen, cimetidine or with antacids (magnesium and aluminum hydroxides and calcium carbonates).
You got a flu shot over 2 weeks ago and your arm is still sore?
It sounds like the muscle is irritated. Typically, ice or a cool cloth used immediately after the flu shot can reduce any soreness. However, when it is more than 48 to 72 hours after the injection, you will need to switch to moist heat. You can use a washcloth soaked in hot water-- keep it folded, wet it, wring out the excess water, and lay it on the site for 10-15 minutes. Remove if too hot and try again in a minute or two. OR you can put a heating pad on low heat and put it on the site for 10-15 minutes. You can repeat either method every 4 to 6 hours as needed. If the heat does not help, or you have a lump under the skin or any hard area under the arm, see your doctor.
What agent causes flu-like symptoms?
if non-lethal: Riot control agent
if with choking, vomiting, convulsions or seizures, pinpoint pupils: chemical
if burned or reddened skin, vomiting, hair loss: radiological/nuclear
to avoid any of these things, distance yourself to lessen you exposure and have a Disaster Response process to have some sort of preparedness.
What not to drink or eat with sore throat?
Sweets and Spices food..and avoid cold drinks and some alcohol drinks.
How do you tell if a bird has bird flu?
* You can't tell if a bird has Bird Flu.
* But the only way you can get Bird Flu is when you get in close contact with a bird.
* Even a pet bird could posibly have it, but only if it came from the wild.
* Only an infected bird can pass it on to dogs, cats, even humans or any other living thing.
Is pressure behind the nose and on the ears and on the temples a sign of a brain tumor?
Yes, a headache anywhere can be a sign of a brain tumor, however that is extremely rare. Most often headaches at the back of the head are either tension headaches, Migraine, or occipital neuralgia. There are many more types of headache though, and many of them include pain at the back of the head. If you have a new type of headache or a severe headache, this is reason to seek the help of a qualified physician, especially a Headache Specialist.
Can you have the flu and not know it?
Yes, for one or two days prior to feeling the symptoms of the flu, you can already be contagious. This is one of the reasons to be especially careful of close contact with others when the flu is known to be in your area, not only to protect yourself, but also to protect others.
No, but it can be treated. There is no cure for the flu, our bodies must handle the infection using the immune system's defenses to render the virus inactive, instead. In the meantime, we feel the symptoms of the flu until the immune system has accomplished this. The symptoms can be treated and the duration of the viral infection can be shortened, however. For information about his, see the related questions below.
In addition, there are effective preventative vaccines for all well-known strains of flu, and the very few anti-viral meds on the market (like Tamiflu) seem to minimize symptoms and discomfort and can shorten the duration of the illness, but they must be given immediately upon manifestations of symptoms (within the first 48 hours) or they don't work as well.
In which of these categories does a sneeze belong?
Sneezing is a reflex action caused by irritation in the nasal cavity. By sneezing you reduce the chance of ingesting dust particles and potentially dangerous microorganisms that have been breathed in. Because of this sneezing could be classed in the respiratory category.
What can kill germs before they can harm you?
it depends where the germs are. for example, if the germs are in a living thing, antidotes(medicines) are required for that living thing if not the germs would cause diseases in that living thing
Drink plenty of water (hot) put rob on your neck have plenty on rest and sleep the next day it should be gone
Colds are almost always transmitted by?
The 'Common Cold' is transmitted by sneezing, coughing, etc..
For example.. Someone sneezes in a lift, viruses and sprayed out at an estimated speed of 40mph. Each virus has to find another target to attack before they are destroyed. The viruses travel through the nasal passage. The lining inside the nasal passage destroys most of the particles but one or two may escape. The single virus that may have escaped, has to trick the body in several different ways. The final and most important trick the virus has to achieve, is to trick the cell wall by pretending it is protein or a good particle. The cell wall lets the virus through, then the virus creates hundreds more virus particles creating influenza B.
There are only two cells in which can cure the virus upon thousands in the body. The body has to find those two cells in order to destroy the virus particles.
Hope that helps.. x
You can catch a cold from food. This is if the food you are eating is really cold, for instance: ice cream from the freezer. Eating the cold food small bit by small bit helps you to avoid catching a cold.
Should someone 80 years old get the H1N1 shot?
The latest information is that, if your doctor agrees, you might as well take it if it is available to you, it won't hurt and might help. However, the incidence of the swine flu H1N1/09 is low among the demographic group of those 65 or older. It is not completely understood why, but it is thought perhaps there was a strain of flu they were exposed to in their past. that was very close to this strain of flu, so they have some cross-over immunity. It can also protect you from minor variant strains that may end up being very similar to the vaccine strain so you could get the cross-over benefit in the future. Reactions and side effects are as low as those with seasonal flu shots. (My 92 year old mother's doctor approved it, so she had one, and had no ill effects at all.)
How many cases of Swine Flu have there been in Michigan?
There may be some ongoing cases in limited locations around the world, including in Maine. However, the specifics and counts of cases are no longer being tracked by CDC, WHO, the US states, and most other countries, now that the pandemic has been declared over. Influenza cases are monitored, but specific H1N1/09 counts (and the lab tests needed to isolate the specific virus to be able to count them correctly) aren't being done. Influenza cases in general are monitored, but statistics are not being kept for H1N1/09 cases separately from other influenza types for reporting any longer in the post pandemic phase.
Why was the pandemic called the Spanish influenza?
The flu was first reported to most of the world in Spanish newspapers. This was because the "Spanish flu" first started in 1918 during WWI when many nations were censoring the news and didn't let this be reported. There was no censorship in the Spanish newspapers since they were neutral in the war. Therefore they reported the cases of influenza during the early part of the outbreak (something many other nations failed to do until much later in the pandemic). The name stuck. Because Spain was neutral in the war, both the entente and central powers placed the blame of the pandemic on Spain. In reality, it is believed that the pandemic originated in the United States and soldiers coming and going to war helped spread it all over the world.
Is it common to have painful teeth and gums from the flu?
If you are having sinus congestion your upper teeth may hurt because the roots of your teeth, especially your molar teeth, are close to the sinus area. Taking a decongestant may help and the teeth should feel better when the pressure is gone and the cold is over. Can't explain why the gums would hurt as well. Just keep brushing and flossing to prevent gingivitis. Gingivitis, inflammation of the gums, doesn't normally hurt, but gums can become swollen and bleed.
Can you get sick while sleeping in a room with a sick person?
no. but you can get sick by making direct contact with the sick person. like if they eat sumthing and u eat the same thing then u can get sick like that or if sum1 sneezes on a tissue and u touch the tissue then rub ur eyes or nose or touch ur mouth then that can get u sik.
