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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 might a mutation of influenza cause another pandemic?
This is a function of the genetic material of the virus - it is RNA rather than DNA and the virus has no "proofreading" enzymes to make sure the copies are exact. It is extremely easy for a mutation to slip in, and since there are only so many genes, each of which are coding for proteins in the virus, the capsule of the virus mutates rapidly.
Can you catch a cold from a drafty window?
No, that is one of the many old beliefs that people had before there was scientific information about the cause of a cold (viruses). This was also thought, before viruses were able to be visualized and identified by scientists and doctors with an electron microscope, to be the cause of pneumonia and influenza. We now know that all of these are caused by infectious organisms and not by being cold, wet, in a draft or other similar old beliefs that have now been proven incorrect.
Moms and others will still say (often from habit) what their moms and others said to them, "Don't leave that window open or you will catch your death of pneumonia," but it is just to show concern and love, not to indicate scientific fact. Just close the window, give them a hug and a thank you, and then wash your hands to get rid of any viruses that can cause you to get a cold. See the related question below for how to wash your hands to remove pathogenic organisms.
What is the speed of the average sneeze?
An average sneeze comes from your mouth and nose at somewhere between 40 and 100 mph.
There can be variation:
This was tested on MythBusters and they found their fastest sneeze being 39 mph. Not to say some people don't sneeze faster, but 102 mph is the fastest recorded speed. The world record has been said to be at 115 km per hour [71.5 mph].
The average person can sneeze as fast as up to 700mph.
100 MPH.
How do you get rid of the stomach flu?
It is an old Greek remedy I learned from a Greek nurse. I have been using it for 20 years now. It is called Lemonial Soup.
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of any kind of white bagged rice
2 to 4 table spoons of lemon juice
pinch of salt
Bring water to a boil add the rice and lemon juice. Cook till soupy. It does not taste the greatest so you might want to add a little sugar. It is the juice mainly that helps. Usually with in 2 to 4 hours you will start feeling better if not repeat again. I have people call me on a regular basis to come and fix the soup for them.
Can you kill flu virus with vinegar?
Yes. According to the CDC, alcohol hand sanitizers used properly will kill flu viruses. I don't think you need to clean surfaces with alcohol. Other surface sanitizers can do that job. See Related Links. The CDC is careful to state that 60% alcohol sanitizers are effective....HOWEVER, many of these products contain as little as 40% alcohol and are not any more effective than plain tap water. There is nothing as effective for "public health" as plenty of plain old soap with lots of warm water to carry the virus bugs down the drain.
Why is H1N1 sometimes called Swine Flu?
H5N1 is the avian flu virus. There are some confined areas of the world that up to half the pig population is testing positive for H5N1, without showing any symptoms. Pigs can carry this as well as human flu viruses. There is some concern that if a pig is carrying both, the viruses can combine and mutate into a new strain that will be easily passed among humans.
Once you have caught the Swine Flu can you get it again?
Yes, there are many different strains of H1N1 influenza and you can get a different strain than you had before. Unless you had lab testing to confirm the specific strain of H1N1 and know exactly what strain is circulating in your community, you would be wise to get a vaccination even if you were diagnosed with H1N1 in the past. The flu vaccine for the 2012-2013 flu season includes the vaccine for H1N1/09 again.
What are 10 countries that have been most affected by swine flu?
As of July 6, 2009
# United States, 33,902 cases and 170 deaths
# Mexico, 10,262 cases and 119 deaths
# Canada, 7,983 cases and 25 deaths
# United Kingdom, 7,447 cases and 3 deaths
# Chile, 7,376 cases and 14 deaths
# Australia, 5,298 cases and 10 deaths
# Argentina, 2,485 cases and 60 deaths
# Thailand, 2,076 cases and 7 deaths
# China, 2,040 cases and 0 deaths
# Japan, 1,790 cases and 0 deaths
Can you get flu again right after recovering?
well getting swine flu twice is about as likely as getting chicken pox twice. it is possible and does happen to people however it is not that common.
So u can get swine flu twice however its harder to get it the second time and i do not think anyone has got swine flu for the third time as its basically impossible as the first and second time you have to take tami-flu which helps fight swine therefore making it impossible to get it a third time as the immune system is to strong.
hope i helped. please leave feedback on my message board.
Where is the common cold found in the world?
yes, its a worldwide cold and it is very common all around. The new deseiese people are talkin about could turn out like the common cold but a bad desiese. 4/27/09
How many people have died in India from Swine Flu?
As of November 22, 2009, there have been 16,328 cases and 553 deaths
in India from A-H1N1/09 Pandemic Swine Flu.
See also related questions for the symptoms of this virus, the methods to avoid getting it, information on who is at higher risk of complications, and how it is spread and treated.
For more information:
All India toll free helpline: 1075 or 1800-11-4377
•Delhi: Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital: 011-24525211, 23404328, 23365525
•Delhi: Deen Dayal Hospital: 011-2512 5259
•Kolkata: Infectious Diseases Hospital: 09433392182 / 09434009077
•Chennai: Communicable Diseases Hospital - 044-25912686.
•Coimbatore: Coimbatore Medical College Hospital - 09442012555
•Hyderabad: AP Chest Diseases Hospital: 040-23814939
•Mumbai: Kasturba Hospital: 022-23083901, 23083902, 23083903, 23083904
•Pune: Dr Naidu Infectious Disease Hospital - 09923130909
•Bangalore: Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Chest Diseases - 91-80-26632634
Generally speaking, you will be better equipped to fight off a viral infection if you have a strong immune system, but the only thing that will give you full protection is to have immunity developed from having had the same type of flu before, or from taking a vaccination against that specific flu strain.
An added aid for your body to use to help protect you from swine flu, would be use of the anti-viral medications that are being prescribed to help fight the influenza viruses, such as Tamiflu and Relenza.
(See information in the related questions below about how your body fights swine flu and about A-H1N1/09 Vaccines and other treatments for the Novel H1N1 Swine Flu.)
IT'S A VIRUS THAT PIGS HAVE AND PIGS HAVE THE FLU SO, WE CAN'T EAT PORK OR SMOKED PORKED I THINK, AND THREE THINGS FOR YOU NOT TO GET SWINE FLU 1. COVER YOUR MOUTH WHEN YOU SNEEZE AND COUGH. 2. WASH YOUR HANDS PLEASE DO. 3. DON'T EAT PORK HOPE THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION!
How long should you stay off work with sickness?
It depends what the 'sickness' is ! If it's an injury - until you're comfortable moving the limb. If it's a virus - until you're no longer contagious !
Can someone develop a chronic cough from second hand smoke?
It's not just smokers who argue whether second hand smoke is tied to lung cancer, it's anyone who has spent the time to look at the science about second hand smoke and lung cancer. The science just isn't present to support these claims, so if you claim to be non biased to either side, you would look into these scientific case studies and would question what most health organizations are claiming. Would you not question a used car sales man when he tells you the car he's gonna sell you for $50 is worth $30,000?
The Scientific Proof:
The [1]EPA was the only identity to claim second hand smoke as a carcinogen. The CDC, US Surgeon General and Lung Association base their information on the EPA report of 1993. The EPA collected 33 medical studies that studied the affects of non smokers married to smokers and their increases in lung cancer. The EPA's study resulted in a risk factor of less than 3.0 making it scientifically insignificant. The EPA report was also presented in front of district Judge William Osteen who ruled against the EPA report and states that the [2]EPA had "cherry-picked" it's data on the subject. The EPA did cast out 2 of the 33 study cases and ended up going with only 30 of them.
[3]Consumer reports looked into the 33 case studies and stated that of the 33 case studies, 26 showed an increase in lung cancer to those married to smokers, and 6 of them showed a decrease in risk in lung cancer to those married to smokers. Their report about the EPA report concludes "The studies showed that for any given nonsmoker, the lifetime risk of getting lung cancer remains small: 4 to 5 in 1000 ordinarily, and 6 to 7 in 1000 if he or she has been living with a smoking spouse."
Other large case studies such as the [5]World Health Organization (WHO), and the [4]British Medical Journal (BMJ) have done independent studies about the link between second hand smoke and lung cancer. The BMJ study concludes, "The results do not support a causal relation between environmental tobacco smoke and tobacco related mortality, although they do not rule out a small effect." The WHO study also concluded there was no association between ETS and mortality.
After studying the evidence found between second hand smoke and lung cancer from both sides of the debate on the subject, the author of this section has found more studies indicating a link between second hand smoke and lung cancer, although the link seems so small it could easily be debated for years.
Michael R. Fox.
Nuclear scientist and university chemistry professor.
- Of those chemicals present in ETS (Environmental Tobacco Smoke) only a very few can be classified as toxins or carcinogens. Some basic physics, a bit of chemistry and a series of rather simple mathematical calculations reveal that exposure to ETS is hardly a dangerous event. Indeed, the cancer risk of ETS to a non-smoker appears to be roughly equal to the risk of becoming addicted to heroin from eating poppy seed bagels.
About 90% of secondary smoke is composed of water vapor and ordinary air with a minor amount of carbon dioxide. The volume of water vapor of second hand smoke becomes even larger as it quickly disperses into the air,depending upon the humidity factors within a set location indoors or outdoors. Exhaled smoke from a smoker will provide 20% more water vapor to the smoke as it exists the smokers mouth.
4 % is carbon monoxide.
6 % is those supposed 4,000 chemicals to be found in tobacco smoke. Unfortunatley for the smoke free advocates these supposed chemicals are more theorized than actually found.What is found is so small to even call them threats to humans is beyond belief.Nanograms,picograms and femptograms......
(1989 Report of the Surgeon General p. 80).
What is the difference between influenza and flu?
'Flu' is just the abbreviation of 'Influenza'.
In - 'Flu' - enza
What year was the bird flu first discovered?
No one person is credited with discovering this new flu virus in 2009. It was a joint effort by scientists and doctors in Mexico, the US and the World Health Organization.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated the virus which was first detected in Mexico City and was made public March 18, 2009. On microscopic evaluation, they determined it was a brand new strain of influenza virus that was causing the illness. They also were the ones to isolate the new virus and grow cultures in the laboratory to be used as the seed stock to create vaccines.
The CDC has scientists from many disciplines working to discover and find solutions for new infectious diseases. They go to the site and work to discover what known or new microorganisms are involved. Epidemiologists, microbiologists, doctors, virologists and infectious disease specialists were among the groups who rapidly identified what was causing the spreading illness in Mexico.
The first person identified with the new influenza was in Mexico City and from there it was tracked back to La Gloria, a small village in the south of Mexico, where it is believed that it started infecting people first (although some new evidence suggests that it may have previously been in Asia, which may have actually been the location of the first creation of the new virus and the actual source. This is still being investigated).
The Mexican health authorities and US CDC worked to identify what the new virus was that the woman in Mexico City had. They took culture samples and grew them in culture media and then identified in a lab what the properties of the virus were and compared it to previously known flu strains. When determined it was an entirely new type of flu, an international team of scientists became involved. New strains like that can create significant illness and pandemics since people would have had no prior exposure to have developed immunity.
The need to identify the illness the woman in Mexico City had, so that they could know how to treat the patient, is what drove the epidemiologists and microbiologists to the discovery of the specific, and new, flu strain.
Now there has been a field test kit developed that is used to quickly identify probable swine flu cases when it is important to know the specific virus involved. Usually that is not needed since the treatment is the same for all common influenza viruses.
The scientists with the CDC also isolated and grew the virus that causes the swine flu and selected the particular "substrain" to use to make a vaccine. They worked closely with the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) and with the drug manufacturers to design and select the correct vaccine to protect against the new flu in 2009. They added the antigen made from the new virus to the "recipe" for vaccines for other flu viruses that had been used for decades, since the safety and effectiveness of that process had already been proven.
The vaccine for A-H1N1/09 is included again in the 2011-2012 flu season vaccine (it won't hurt to take it again if you had it one of the prior two years). The seasonal flu vaccine also contains vaccine for two other common flu types expected to be circulating in this current flu season.
How many birds die of bird flu?
As of April 2013, only 360 people world-wide have died from avian flu, H5N1, and 10s of millions of birds have died of this strain since 2003. It is rare among humans.
As of Easter Sunday 2013, it was reported that a new strain to infect humans, H7N9, had claimed the lives of the first two people with this rare strain of avian flu. Two men have died in Shanghai, and one other person in a different part of China is in critical condition with this strain of bird flu.
Who should get the flu vaccination?
Persons at Increased Risk for Complications According to ACIP, vaccination is recommended for the following groups of persons who are at increased risk for complications from influenza:1 * persons aged ≥ 65 years; * residents of nursing homes and other chronic-care facilities that house persons of any age who have chronic medical conditions; * adults and children who have chronic disorders of the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems, including asthma; * adults and children who have required regular medical follow-up or hospitalization during the preceding year because of chronic metabolic diseases (including diabetes mellitus), renal dysfunction, hemoglobinopathies, or immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by medications or by human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]); * children and adolescents (aged 6 months-18 years) who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and, therefore, might be at risk for developing Reye syndrome after influenza infection; * women who will be pregnant during the influenza season; and * children aged 6-23 months.
How can you tell if you have hay fever or a cold?
A fever is a sign of a cold or sinus infection. Although both allergies and a cold may have a clear discharge from the nose, it may turn creamy, yellow or green after a few days with a cold. Allergies produce dry coughs where colds produce wetter-sounding coughs. With allergies, eyes may be itchy and either watery or dry; with a cold, they may turn pink with a discharge matching the nose.
Even after receiving the flu vaccine you can get the flu if you are exposed to a different type of flu virus than was in the vaccine, if your immune system is not functioning properly, or if you are exposed before the vaccine was able to create the proper antibodies from the vaccination (usually 2 weeks after the vaccination in most adults and longer in children - up to a month) . The flu vaccine is made with the viral particles of the top 3 flu virus strains that are expected to be circulating in that upcoming season for which the vaccine was developed. US CDC scientists determine each year what viruses should be in the following year's vaccine based on what viruses are circulating in Asia, since these will be moving west toward the US during the flu season. There are many strains, if the scientists do not predict the correct ones, you may still become ill despite a vaccination.
You CANNOT get the flu from the flu vaccines. The viruses in the vaccines are killed (inactivated) or weakened, so you cannot get the flu from a flu vaccination. You can check out the NIH's website for more info.
What causes bumps on your head?
There are a total of eight bones that make the skull. These bones are fused together, with the seams being referred to as sutures. Since no bone is truly smooth, and the sutures are bound to have some irregularities, the bumps on your head (called protuberences) are there just because they aren't someplace else.
Other things that can cause bumps on your head are hammers, rocks, tree branches, top bunks, windshields, small woodland creatures, and cans of soup. This list, of course, not exhaustive, so take it with a grain of salt...just be careful.
What it is common cold caused by?
The common cold is a viral infection that is usually accompanied by nasal symptoms, a sore throat, and oftentimes a headache. The common cold is spread through contact with an infected person, droplets in the air, and improper hand washing techniques.
Why do you get a fever when you get the flu?
When you have a fever your internal thermostat is set too high therefore a room temperature which would feel comfortable if your temperature was normal gives you a chill if your temperature is raised.
The above answer is an oversimplification. When you shiver, it is your body's way of warming itself up. The repetitive oscillations of your muscles give off heat which raise the body's core temperature. When you have a fever, it is because your body is using the heat to kill off the invading organisms. When it needs a little more help getting the core temperature up, it signals the body to begin shivering to raise the temperature even more.
