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
Is there always joint pain with Swine Flu?
Th symptoms of swine flu are the same as any other variant. Bodily aches and pains, especially in the back and including the joints, are common.
I had this same problem with a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. Mine turned out to be the AC drain. It is located just a little left of center line near the firewall. If you get under the passenger side near the door you will see the little black stub near the exhaust pipe in the center. http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?showtopic=16157&hl=drain I once had a problem just like this with a 1991 Pontiac Grand Am. In my case I had to clear all of the leaves and junk that collected in and under the windshield wiper trench. When I poped the hood, there was a slight gap on each side where leaves would collect. With the hood open, the gaps were in the top corners. In my case, the leaves would become brittle and break up into small pieces which would fall down and clog the water drain channels. As it decomposed it bace a thich mud that would not clear on its own. When it rained, water would not be able to drain and would instead build up and flow through the air vents into the car interior. Look for openings in your car's engine and frame that might allow leaves to collect. Clean this out as best as you can. For me, I removed the wipers and lifted the cover just underneath them and did a good cleaning. I then also repaired any cracks in the cover that cuold let more water in than was necessary. I hope that will give you some benefit. One I idea I also had (Which I am not convinced Is a very good idea because of complications) was to drill drain holes into the car floor to allow any water that did collect drain away. But you have to make sure it doesn't start a rust problem or have you damage anthing underneath the flooring. Good luck.
How can you get rid of body aches from the flu?
If you are otherwise healthy, Ibuprofen, or another over-the-counter (OTC) NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) will help. Ask the pharmacist at your drug store for recommendations for your use. Although these won't completely rid you of the flu, they help keep aches and pains at bay for up to 4 hours. Follow the label directions carefully as some of these drugs have serious potential side effects if used improperly, many are very hard on your stomach so if you have problems with acid indigestion, etc. ask the pharmacist or your doctor about this and which type would be best for your use or if you should use them at all.
Aches with the flu are caused by several things, one being your lymph system inflammation from the infection and immune response. Stretch your body using gentle yoga poses if you feel well enough. Also, drink lots of WATER, WATER, WATER to flush the toxins out of your system.
Try a warm bath or use a warm moist compress or heating pad over the worst area if your fever is not too high. Wait to do this if you have a fever of over 101F degrees (38.3C). This relaxes the tense and inflamed muscles, and gets your blood circulating to help move the toxins out of your body and move the antibodies your immune system has produced quickly to the area of infection.
What can be used to control viruses?
Antiviral drugs are most often designed and developed to combat specific viruses and sub-categories of viruses: HIV, Flu, Herpes, Shingles, Cold sores, Canker sores, etc.
Hi, Your question is: Light period instead of normal heavy flow. Feels like you have the Flu. Terrible insomnia. Did a preg test day before period was due but negative could you still be preg? It really depends on how light the period was. Some women do experience vaginal bleeding during pregnancy which is light that they mistake for a period. Because of this I would recommend you perform a pregnancy test. Its best to perform the test 3 weeks after you last had unprotected sex.
There is something called "ice pick migraines" which feel very much like someone has literally jammed an ice pick through your head. They last fewer than 5 minutes (mine last for less than 30 seconds) but cause such blinding pain. Although I do not exhibit flu like feelings or headache afterwards with these I do get them with regular migraines... speak to your doctor if you don't feel well soon... there is medication you can go on if the migraines are persistent... and troublesome... when I get them I will get 40 or more in a day but then they go away for months at a time.
What if you used cowpox to prevent the flu?
It wouldn't work. You must introduce the specific viruses that cause influenza to prevent the flu. Cowpox vaccines would be used for preventing cowpox (or some infections by closely related other poxviruses).
A similar virus to cowpox virus is Vaccinia virus which is the type of pox virus that was used to produce the vaccines originally developed and used to prevent smallpox. Smallpox is now eradicated from the wild thanks to worldwide use of smallpox vaccines made from Vaccinia.
Despite its name, cowpox virus does not infect cows, it infects mice, rats and other rodents.
Just like in humans, cold symptoms can have many causes. They aren't always actually a cold or even caused by a virus. The causes could be bacterial, allergies, or even environmental. If the symptoms don't go away, worsen, or are severe you may want to consider contacting your vet.
How do antiseptics kill germs outside your body?
Antiseptic is when you have pills or any kind of medicines to cure the illness that you have to suffer with. such as, paracetamol to get rid of being on the bed (illness)
Can you go to school with an ear infection?
Its Your Parents Choose. You can go to school, or not. My Mum and Dad let me stay at home for a week :) Its your parents choice the first submission is stupid.
What are the disadvantages of getting too much sleep when one is fighting off the flu?
Other then the fact that you won't be as energetic, and you may become very bored, there are not a lot of disadvantages to sleeping when it comes to being ill with the flu. When your body is fighting a virus, the best possible thing for you is to be resting or sleeping so that your healthy blood cells can kick the bad blood cells butts and fight the infection. Being asleep helps this because then your body can aim 100 percent of it's energy towards fighting the infection instead of trying to say, digest food or move your muscles to walk around or even to concentrate on a phone or book.
What secondary bacterial infections can a person get with a common cold?
Colds make the upper respiratory system less resistant to bacterial infection. Secondary bacterial infection may lead to middle ear infection, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinus infection, or strep throat.
NEVER give pets human medicine or anything that was not prescribed by a vet their bodies are different than ours and what will help us can kill them
Replication of Viruses
A virus "replicates" [the term often heard in place of "reproduces"] inside a host cell with the process called the Lytic Cycle. The details of the steps of the Lytic Cycle are in the related questions below in the Related Questions section.
Basically, once the virus has found a suitable host that is made up of the type of host cells that its virus type uses (i.e., plant, animal ~ including insects to humans, or bacteria), it attaches to the host. Then the virus implants the "key" to its genetic makeup into the cell. When this DNA "key" (or RNA in some viruses) of the virus is inserted into cells of a host, it allows the cells to be hijacked and, at the appropriate time for that particular virus, it instructs the host to make more virus particles. The virus can either lie dormant, such as in some cases of the HIV/AIDS virus, or immediately become active and command the host cell to start the replication processes.
If the virus becomes active, it can then turn the host cell into a 'factory' for making more viruses. The result usually, but not always, is that the host becomes ill because the cells are no longer functioning as they should for the host while working on the job of the replication. With each cycle of replication, the virus particles can invade even more and more cells until the host's immune system (or other defense) can catch up to kill the invader.
Mutations
Since they are non-living sub-microscopic organisms and not actually living animal or plant organisms (like bacteria and microscopic fungi are), viruses must combine with the living cells of hosts and change the genetic material in those host cells to cause them to begin to reproduce new virus particles, as described above, with the energy and raw materials being provided by the host. In addition, sometimes that assimilation can result in a mutation of the virus particles themselves that will change the makeup of the particles to a new strain of virus. This new strain can then also be replicated by the host's cells when that revised genetic material is inserted into them. Some viruses, like those of the common cold, can mutate very rapidly and this is one way they bypass the immune system's defenses and prevent our future immunity.
Viruses have a capsid, a covering on the virus that is made up of proteins (in different combination dependent on the strain). The mutation can alter the combination of these proteins in a way to evade the antibodies that were developed for the original protein combination. That will cause the host's immune system to start all over to have to develop new antibodies to fit the new and different capsid "shape" shedding and spreading more virus particles in the meantime to new hosts.
Conceptually, a virus is the blueprints for making a virus from a cell. Normally, the cell makes cells. When infected, however, the cell then makes viruses. More or less.
How many cases of swine flu in Catawba County now?
There may still be some isolated cases or outbreaks in limited locations around the world. However, the specifics and counts of cases are no longer being tracked by CDC, WHO, and most US states now that the pandemic has been declared over. Influenza cases are monitored, but specific H1N1/09 counts aren't available separately from other influenza reporting any longer.
What is the best OTC medicine for flu like symptoms?
Guaifenesin, in my opinion. Usually multiple over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are needed to treat all the symptoms of flu-like illnesses. Consulting the pharmacist in the drug store for suggestions of the best choices available to meet your needs is always a good thing to do when purchasing OTC remedies. When products contain multiple active ingredients for multiple symptoms, I prefer to take only the ones that have exactly what I need so I don't take unneeded preparations. The pharmacist can best help you select those. See the related questions in the related question section for this Q&A for a more comprehensive answer to how cold and flu are treated.
But, if picking the "best" of a single OTC product to help the symptoms of the flu, I would pick the ones that help expectoration and cough, since lung secretions that are not coughed up are part of the problem in development of secondary pneumonia from the flu, which can be a life-threatening complication. Other remedies may make you more comfortable, but could be less important in preventing complications. My personal choice for the best of the cough/expectorant OTC medicine would be any cough preparations that contain Guaifenesin as the primary active ingredient. This is made from a natural product with centuries, if not longer, safe and effective use for this purpose, and it loosens congestion and sputum better than other choices for me to help clear my lungs and airway.
Guaifenesin is available OTC in generic and store brand cough medicines at very reasonable prices, and in brand name OTC cough and expectorant treatments, such as Robitussin and Mucinex. I usually prefer to use cough medicines that do not also contain decongestants, because they are not needed every time you need an expectorant or cough medicine and can be taken separately when they are really needed. Also consult your pharmacist for choosing OTC medicines that can be taken safely together.
What are the prevention for dengue?
it's so easy, you just have to make sure that you didnt get biten by Aedes mosquitoes! but to differ them from any other mosq just before they bite you was so hard, so you should just avoid and get rid of all of the mosq
1. dont get bited: use repellent, or cover your skin with long-sleeve t-shirt and trousers, or use mosquito net on your bed
2. get rid of them: the adult one: fog your environment with pesticide, clean your house from hanging clothes and trash where the mosq can hide.
the larva: use abate in your water source, dont let any puddled or flooded container live happily, and in the extreme way, just put some fish into your bathroom.
When will flu shots be available in Lacanto FL?
Seasonal flu vaccine is out and being given in many states in typical locations such as pharmacies and grocery stores, etc.
For the A-H1N1/09 "Swine Flu" vaccine, it is being distributed through US government public health channels to each state. It is expected to be available to certain risk groups beginning in mid October. To know when and where you can be vaccinated, keep alert to your local news reports on the availability and to which risk group it is being provided. Those at higher risk of complications such as small children and pregnant women will be among some of the first to be offered the vaccine as it becomes available. Check with your health care provider to determine if you are at high risk (see also the related question below listing the high risk groups). You can check with your state department of health (see link to the Florida state department of health below) and perhaps get information about locations of public immunization programs, if they have been selected, and other vaccination program details. In many places the programs will be set up in schools, hospitals, clinics, and individual healthcare provider settings.
Is there a new flu going around fall 2017?
Yes, and since the new flu that caused the pandemic in 2009 (H1N1/09 "Swine flu") there have been other new types identified (and even some new strains of avian flu have been identified) around the world. The viruses that cause the flu are mutating into new types of flu all the time. Cold viruses also mutate easily and quickly, this is a reason that vaccines can not be developed in time before they mutate again leaving the vaccine ineffective). Sometimes our immune systems have antibodies against older types of flu that will work to prevent the new types that are not that much different, but then other times the new influenza virus will have mutated into types for which our prior immunities will not be effective to prevent the new flu from making us ill. We will have to either get vaccines made as we did in 2009, or we will have to leave it to our bodies to make new antibodies that will block the new flu, but we will feel the symptoms of the flu in the interim.
Why is blowing the nose when a person has cold could prevent germs from entering the middle ear?
the natural drainage pattern for the middle ear and sinuses is down through the nose into the back of the throat. This drainage occurs everyday, we only notice it when we have a cold and secretion is increased. Blowing air up from the lungs backwards out through the nose will certainly push some mucous out the front of your nose but it will also push this drainage backwards up into your sinuses and middle ear, potentially increasing your risk of secondary bacterial infections in these areas. Better off pulling the drainage through it's normal route down the back of the throat with that gross sucking noise that disgusts my wife when I have a cold ;-)
Should nurses wear a mask if they have not had the flu shot?
The CDC created guidelines for health care professionals and use of masks during the swine flu pandemic. They suggested that nurses wear masks to protect patients from potential exposure to viruses when they were working with infants and the immuno-compromised patients. See the related questions and related links below.
What is the cough of a common cold like?
The cough that accompanies a cold is usually intermittent and dry.
