Colds, flu and sore throats
common; cold; influenza; sore; throat; flu; cough; echinacea; cigarettes; smoking; tobacco; swine; H1N1;;
Contents
We all get colds and can feel really miserable when we have one. This topic is about the common cold, the flu and sore throats. It'll give you some information on symptoms, how colds and the flu spread, and what to do to feel better.
C
olds
How you catch colds
Over 200 different viruses cause colds. They can be lurking anywhere people have been. The virus hangs around the classroom or office or factory, the bus, tram or train in tiny droplets that are sneezed and coughed by people into the air. The passenger to your left coughs, you quickly turn away, skillfully dodging those airborne droplets, but you're foiled as the woman on your right sneezes in your direction. At that moment, you know you're done for, the virus has got you.
The virus spreads quickly through coughing, sneezing and touching things with hands and tissues that others then touch.
Recent research says that if you smoke, or hang around with people who smoke, you are more likely to catch more colds and they can last longer.
Although it's called a cold, being cold doesn't cause colds.
- There are more colds around in winter when it is cold, but it's probably because people crowd together more in winter and are shut together in classrooms and offices - sneezing and coughing!
- Also, when you first get sick with a cold, you feel cold, even though you are hot with a fever.
Even really healthy people get colds - they are not a sign of weakness!
What does a cold do to you?
A cold mainly affects the lining of the nose and the throat.
- Your nose is runny (you can feel like tying a tissue across your nose to catch the drips), or it's completely blocked so you can't breathe, or you've got the sneezes and feel like one mighty sneeze might make you explode!!
- Your throat is as sore and dry, you cough, your eyes are red and watery - basically you feel unwell all over.
- All this can trigger asthma, ear infections and sinusitis in some people.
How to avoid spreading it
You can give others your cold when you cough or sneeze into the air around them, or if the droplets from your nose or mouth fall onto something that they then touch, or if your hands smear the droplets onto something that they then handle....then their hands carry the germs to their mouth or nose....... Hands are the culprits in many of the colds that we get!
- Sneeze or cough into a tissue, then throw it into a bin straight away. Don't keep hankies or tissues in your pocket until they're all hard and crunchy - they're full of the virus! Tissues are more hygienic than hankies.
- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your hand - then wash your hand straight away.
- Wash your hands every time you sneeze or cough. Soap and warm water kill even the strongest viruses...you do not need special antiseptic soaps.
- Stay home from school or work until you feel better! Don't 'soldier on'!!! Missing a day's work might make it hard for your work mates, but if they catch your cold and have to take time off everyone suffers.
- Staying home from school or work doesn't mean more time to socialise - stay home, rest and really recuperate.
- If you have been close to someone with a cold, wash your hands often.
Treatment
There is no cure for a cold- but you can treat some of the symptoms so you feel better. Here are some examples:
- If you feel like crawling into a warm bed and sleeping, do it - your body needs the rest.
- If you're cold, stay in your warm bed, or sit in a comfy chair with a rug over you and watch a good video or read a book.
- If you have a headache, ear ache, fever etc, take the recommended amount of paracetamol or ibuprofen (aspirin can be dangerous for people under about 18 years old).
- A sore dry throat can be due to a blocked nose causing you to sleep with your mouth open - probably snoring.
- Drink lots of fluids - water or orange juice are good.
- Sip warm drinks like a honey, lemon juice and hot water mixture (not hot rum drinks - alcohol will make you feel worse in the end).
- Suck lozenges and cough lollies for relief of a sore dry throat.
- You could try a nose spray - but not for more than two or three days as it can begin irritating your nose and make the blocked nose worse.
- Inhaling steam can help a blocked nose - simply fill a large bowl with boiling water and add a drop or two of an aromatic oil such as eucalyptus oil. Place a towel over your head and the bowl to trap the steam so you can breathe it in - don't burn yourself!
- Cut down on late nights and vigorous exercise for a few days (the footy team or netball team will have to cope without you for a match).
- Cough syrups might help if you have a dry irritating cough, but if you start wheezing or bringing up phlegm, stop the cough syrup and see you doctor.
- Drink lots (no alcohol though).
- Avoid smoking and being around cigarette smoke.
Note: Taking echinacea preparations early, when someone around you has a cold, or right at the beginning of the symptoms, might be useful in preventing the cold getting a hold on you.
When to see your Doctor
Sometimes colds can have complications and get a lot worse. You could get ear infections, sinus infections (sinusitis) or infections in the lung (bronchitis or pneumonia). Sometimes colds can trigger asthma too if you are prone to getting it.
See your friendly family doctor if:
- the cold doesn't get better after about 4 or 5 days
- you have a high fever for more than a day or two (38ºC or over)
- you have a wheeze, chest pain or a bad cough
- you have earache or face pain or the headache gets worse
- the mucous or phlegm is yellow or green (this colour often means you have sinusitis)
- the cough or sore throat won't go away
Or just because you want to if you feel sick.
A doctor's certificate
You might need a doctor's certificate if you miss several days of school, work or a study course, or if you need an extension for work. If that's the case, see your doctor early on - she can't write a certificate for last week's cold if you've recovered and go in all bright and healthy looking.
Flu
How do you catch flu?
The flu (full name is influenza) is caused by one of several different influenza viruses. It is caught in the same way colds are caught - by sneezing, coughing and touching. You've got to get quicker at dodging those coughing, sneezing people. Older people or people who are already unwell get it a lot worse.
What are the symptoms?
The flu is different from colds - it comes on more quickly and there is more fever, headaches, aches in the rest of the body, shivering and feeling hot and cold than with colds. Your body aches, but usually the nose is not all drippy and runny like with a cold. You can have a test to show if it is influenza but this is rarely needed.
How to avoid it spreading to others
Avoid it spreading in the same way as with a cold. Wash your hands every time you sneeze or cough into your hand, to wash away the droplets that carry the virus. Throw out those damp, germ-laden, used tissues as soon as you use them. Stay away from school or work until you feel better. No kissing on the mouth! Especially not those long passionate kisses. The mouth and nose areas are where all the germs hang out!
You can be immunised against the flu but this is mainly recommended for older people (over 65), people with on-going illnesses and people taking medication that weakens the immune system in the body. Immunisations are usually given in autumn.
Treatment
As with a cold, there is no cure, you can only treat the symptoms. Get plenty of rest, drink a lot and eat soft foods if there is a sore throat. Avoid alcohol and other drugs - they only make it harder for your body to fight this off - and have a few early nights until you feel more on top of things. Going out partying will mean you feel ill for longer. See also "cold treatment". Just like colds, the flu can have complications like pneumonia and ear infection, so contact your doctor if you feel unwell, if you have a high temperature, bad cough or if the flu symptoms don't go away in afew days.
For up-to-date information about swine flu in South Australia have a look at the Department of Health website
http://flu.sa.gov.au/
How do you get sore throats?
Sore throats can show up for a variety of reasons that include colds, the flu, tonsillitis, glandular fever or blocked noses. A blocked nose can cause a sore throat because it causes you to breath through your mouth (snoring most probably) all night while you're asleep. The best thing for this is to soothe the throat with drinks and try to clear the blocked nose. Steam baths with a drop or two of an inhalent, eg. eucalyptus oil can help.
How to avoid it spreading to others
Stay home from school or work and keep your hands clean to help stop it spread. No one will thank you for coughing or sneezing all over them either - this is a sure way to spread your germs. Turn away when you do the coughing and the sneezing thing, cover the cough or sneeze with a hand or tissue. Then get rid of the tissue and wash your hands right away.
What to do
Try eating soft foods such as soups, scrambled eggs, jellies, custards and ice cream if it hurts to swallow. Have lots of drinks. Take paracetamol for pain. See your doctor to find out what is causing the sore throat if it goes on for more than a few days.
Resources in South Australia
- Your family doctor
- Community Health Centres (look in the phone book for your nearest centre)
- The Second Story Youth Health Service (TSS)
- Central: 57 Hyde St, Adelaide
- South: 50a Beach Rd, Christies Beach
- North: 6 Gillingham Rd, Elizabeth
- West: 51 Bower St, Woodville
Contact TSS via the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19,
or for mobile phone callers (08) 8303 1691 (normal rates).
The information on this site should not be used as an alternative to professional care. If you have a particular problem, see a doctor, or ring the Youth Healthline on 1300 13 17 19 (local call cost from anywhere in South Australia).