"Cold and Flu Basics
By Jodi M.
The Common ColdThere are over ONE BILLION colds and cases of the flu in the United States every year. The common cold is an illness caused by a virus infection located in the nose and leads to symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, headache, fever, etc. which are a result of the body's response to the infection. There are currently no known ways to cure a cold, we can only fight the symptoms using medicines such as antihistamines, decongestants, and cough suppressants. The common cold is spread by the cold virus being inserted into your nasal passages either through droplets of fluid, or from contaminated hands touching your nose. The best way to avoid getting a cold is to focus on cold prevention by wash your hands frequently, avoiding touching your mouth and
nose, and maintaining distance from people how are infected with the virus.Influenza (The Flu)Influenza (the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can even lead to death. Influenza should not be confused with other illnesses such as avian flu, swine flu, canine flu, or pandemic flu. Each fall, you may hear advertisements or be told by your doctor to get a flu shot, especially if you fall into a high-risk group.
The flu shot is similar to an immunization in that it injects you with a small amount of inactive influenza virus which is supposed to make your body more resistant to being exposed to that virus throughout the winter. The flu shot is one of the best ways to prevent flu contamination. Once infected with the flu virus, flu symptoms can also be treated using medicines such as antihistamines, decongestants, and cough suppressants.
I am a stay-at-home mom of two young kids who is very interested in all aspects of health and wellness. I cover more areas of cold and flu prevention, cold and flu treatment, and many other health topics at my Cold and Flu Blog. I'd love to have you come by and say hello and learn more about how I am working to keep my kids healthy which makes me HAPPY!"
"Swine flu is actually very common in pigs. And surprisingly, many things
about swine flu are the same as the human flu, including that: pigs can get a swine flu vaccine swine flu outbreaks usually occur among pigs in the late fall and winter, just like our flu season swine flu symptoms in pigs can include the sudden onset of fever, coughing, running nose, sneezing, trouble breathing, and not wanting to eat Fortunately, especially as we have enough to worry about with our own flu viruses, humans do not usually get swine flu.Occasionally they do however, especially children and adults who have close contact with pigs. In fact, the CDC usually reports one or two human cases of swine flu each year.
Symptoms of swine flu in humans are the same as regular flu symptoms, and include fever, coughing, decreased appetite, and decreased energy. " Read full article...
"What You Need To Know
- You can not catch swine flu by eating pork or pork products.
- Swine flu is a type A flu virus with four subtypes, including H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. In contrast, bird flu is an H5N1 influenza A virus.
- Antiviral flu drugs, like Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir), are available to treat swine flu in humans, although swine flu is usually resistant to Flumadine (rimantadine) and Symmetrel (amantadine).
- The 1918 Flu Pandemic that may have killed 30 to 50 million people was once thought to be caused by a swine flu, but recent research has found that it was really a severe strain of bird flu."
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