flu (influenza)
It is a contagious respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus. Symptoms are high fever (38° or higher), headache, weakness, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, muscle pain and general malaise. Digestive symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur, but these symptoms are more common in children than adults. The disease has a short incubation period (2-5 days) and is highly contagious from 1 day before onset to 7 days after onset.
prevention
The flu vaccine should be given before the first cold weather in the fall. It is intended primarily for high-risk groups such as adults over 65 years of age, people with chronic diseases (diabetes, heart and lung disease) and immunocompromised people, children or adolescents who take acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) for a long time, and workers . Nursing (physicians, nurses, and those in contact with high-risk patients). In any case, it is possible to apply from the age of six months, and there is no maximum age limit.
In addition, to prevent human-to-human transmission of disease, we can also take the following measures:
Wash your hands often (before and after eating, when returning from the street, after shaking hands with someone who has a cough or cold, after using the toilet, etc.).
Avoid being near people who have the flu.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, or bend your elbow if that is not possible. Covering with hands is not recommended as this facilitates the spread of the virus.
treat
If the person affected does not suffer from a chronic disease, it is convenient to do the following:
l Get plenty of rest.
l Drink plenty of fluids.
l Avoid drinking and smoking.
Stay at home and avoid contact with other people so as not to infect others.
Over-the-counter medicines designed to relieve flu symptoms can be taken, but only for a few days, and a doctor should be consulted if these symptoms persist.
Children or adolescents should not take aspirin.
Most people in good health recover from the flu without complications.
heed emergency signs
In some people affected by influenza, there may be some key emergency symptoms that indicate that the patient needs urgent medical attention:
In children, symptoms include persistent fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, skin discoloration, changes in consciousness (such as difficulty waking up), and restlessness. The same is true when flu symptoms improve but then worsen with fever and cough.
In adults, symptoms include high or persistent fever, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, fainting, confusion, or severe and/or persistent vomiting.
common cold
This is a very common infectious disease that affects the upper respiratory tract. Although cold weather is not the definitive reason for its appearance, it occurs more frequently in winter. It leads to absenteeism from high school and work, and a huge need for clinical counseling.
Colds are caused by viruses that spread in the environment when an affected person coughs, talks, or touches another person in the environment. Since there are more than 200 different viruses that can cause this disease, it is possible to have more than one cold caused by a different pathogen each year.
The first symptoms (itchy throat, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, coughing, headache, mild fever, tiredness or muscle aches) appear two to three days after exposure to an infectious agent. The likelihood of contagion is greatest during the first four days, and while a quarter of colds last two weeks or more, most clear up within a week.
treat
Given the number of viruses that can cause colds, there is currently no vaccine to prevent them, only drugs that reduce the intensity of symptoms. It is also useful to observe the following recommendations:
Keep well hydrated, especially with children and the elderly.
Avoid strenuous activity and keep rested.
Have a comfortable, temperate environment with sufficient air circulation. Elevating the head of the bed can help reduce the intensity of nighttime coughing and increase air intake into the body.
In order to avoid contagion as much as possible, it is necessary to take the following measures:
Try to stay away from people who smoke or have colds. When someone with a cold coughs or sneezes, virus particles can travel up to 12 feet in the air. At the same time, tobacco smoke irritates the airways, nose and throat and often aggravates disease symptoms.
Wash your hands often, especially after blowing your nose.
Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Avoid sharing towels, crockery and cutlery with someone who has a cold.
Also, don’t drink from the same glass, can or bottle as other people because there is no way to know if someone is about to get the disease and is already spreading it.
Do not use a handkerchief that has been used by someone else.
During a cold, complications such as sinusitis, otitis media, and tonsillitis may occur, or existing chronic respiratory diseases may be aggravated. If the patient’s condition worsens instead of improving, you should consult your GP immediately.
Finally, it should be especially taken into account that in the case of flu and colds, antibiotics should never be used as a means of treatment, since these drugs are not indicated for diseases in which the causative agent is a virus.
myth
There are a lot of misconceptions about the common cold: Do antibiotics work? Is drinking honey and lemon useful? Here we explain what the truth about colds is.
1) A cold and the flu are the same thing
They are different. A cold or common cold is an infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by different viruses, mainly rhinoviruses. Generally, it has no serious complications, and there is no specific treatment or vaccine to prevent it.
Influenza, on the other hand, also known as influenza, is an infection that affects not only the upper respiratory tract, but also the lungs or other organs, and can be very serious and lead to death. There are specific antiviral drugs for treatment and vaccines for prevention.
2) Take vitamin C daily to prevent colds
Vitamin C in pharmaceutical form, or better yet in fruit form, is recommended as it is a natural stimulant against viruses. In high doses, it may help fight the viruses that cause the common cold and other viral infections better. However, preventing the common cold has not been proven by scientific studies.
3) Take antibiotics for quick relief from colds
This is one of those myths that should be dispelled, because antibiotics don’t work on viruses and therefore have no effect on the common cold or flu. Misuse of it brings multiple adverse reactions (allergies, diarrhea, etc.) and the risk of bacterial resistance, causing great harm to the population.
4) Eating a spoonful of honey before going to bed can relieve cough
There are a large number of scientific studies of varying methodological quality demonstrating the efficacy of honey in reducing cough. Due to its good safety profile, it is recommended, but only for those over the age of one.
5) For the first symptoms of a cold, taking honey and lemon can be very helpful
While there are no studies to back their effectiveness, we know that the vitamin C found in honey and lemons both have immune system-boosting properties and can help fight viral infections.
6) Propolis is used to combat winter diseases
There is not enough evidence to support this claim. Although some antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of propolis are known, only a few studies support its use in the treatment of cold sores.
7) Boil and inhale eucalyptus leaves or place them in a container on the stove to help relieve nasal congestion
There’s no research to support that it relieves symptoms, let alone steam-humidified air alone, which may even have some unwanted effects, such as a feeling of shortness of breath or increased nasal congestion.
8) Apply peppermint cream on the nose and chest to help breathe better
No research supports its effectiveness. Its use stimulates cold receptors but does not improve airflow in the airways. Because of their effect on the sensation of temperature, they are used as part of traditional medicine.
9) For sore throats, gargling with warm water with salt is useful
There is no evidence to support this claim. It’s unclear whether gargling with water helps prevent the common cold.
10) Preventing colds by not exposing yourself to temperature changes
Although there are no studies to prove this, exposure to cold is known to increase the risk of respiratory infections, possibly due to changes in the immune system and constriction of blood vessels in the airways. However, there are other factors that are more associated with viral respiratory infections, such as age, season, presence of other medical conditions, and contact with other sick people or children.
11) Eating garlic and onions helps to dispel cold
There is not enough quality evidence to support this claim, so its use for this purpose is not recommended. Although other healthful properties have been described, its use often brings its characteristic odor as an adverse effect.
12) To avoid catching a cold, wash your hands frequently, cover your mouth when coughing, and avoid crowded places
These are very useful recommendations for reducing the spread of respiratory viruses, so we must put them into practice, especially during the colder months of the year when such infections increase the most.