What can and cannot be done with the flu?
What can and cannot be done with the flu?
Each of us has had the flu, as a rule, everyone has it once a year. Of course, questions arise, what can be done during this illness, and what is better to refrain from. Below we have answered some of the most common flu questions for you:
Content:
- How to tell the flu from SARS and colds?
- How many days does the temperature last with the flu?
- How contagious is the flu?
- Is a flu shot required?
- Can I go to the bathhouse with the flu?
- Is there flu without fever?
- Can I breastfeed with the flu?
- Is the flu sexually transmitted?
- Does a mask save you from influenza?
- Can there be flu without coughing?
- Can I get the flu after getting vaccinated?
- Could there be vomiting with the flu?
- Can there be flu without a cold?
- Can I inhale the flu?
- Can I drink alcohol with the flu?
- Does vodka help with flu?
- Can I go outside with the flu?
- Can I drink aspirin for the flu?
- Can I get the flu again in a week?
- Are antibiotics prescribed for the flu?
- Can you have sex with the flu?
- Can there be diarrhea with the flu?
- Can I wash my hair with the flu?
How to tell the flu from SARS and colds?
It is possible to distinguish influenza from SARS if you know the main signs and symptoms inherent in these conditions. Comparative characteristics of the two infections are shown in the table.
| Sharp start. Within an hour, the patient's condition worsens, there is a sharp jump in temperature. | The symptomatology increases gradually over several days. | |
| Body temperature | In 1-2 hours it reaches critical levels on the thermometer (up to 40 ° C). Poorly adjusted and lasts about 3 days. | The body temperature does not exceed 38.5, it goes down in 2-3 days. |
| Other clinical signs | Characterized by muscle and headaches, body aches, chills with increased sweating, photophobia, painful sensations in the eyes. | Weakness and malaise are not pronounced. |
| Catarrhal phenomena | The nose is slightly stuffy, or generally remains free of mucus, an exacerbation of sinusitis, sinusitis is possible. The runny nose stops after 2 days. Sneezing and conjunctivitis are possible. | The nose is very stuffy, there is profuse lacrimation, rhinitis, sneezing. |
| Throat | The posterior wall of the throat is hyperemic and swollen, sometimes the soft palate. | The throat is loose and red. |
| Plaque on mucous membranes | Absent. | May be present. |
| The lymph nodes | Do not increase. | Their increase is possible. |
| Chest pain, cough | The cough occurs two days after the onset of the acute stage of the disease, gradually turning into a wet one. If a person is sick with swine flu, then the cough is dry, debilitating, and occurs from the very onset of the disease. | The cough is dry, occurs at the initial stages of the development of the disease. |
| Conjunctival hyperemia. | Yes |
Rarely, against the background of a bacterial complication. |
| Gastrointestinal disorders | In adulthood, nausea and diarrhea are likely, in childhood - vomiting and diarrhea. | Gastrointestinal disorders are rare. |
| Duration of the infectious process | The disease goes away after 7-10 days, leaving behind weakness and malaise for another 2-3 weeks. | The disease goes away after a week, there is no weakness and malaise after the illness. |
How many days does the temperature last with the flu?
The temperature with flu lasts for 3-5 days, then goes down. If the body temperature remains elevated for 6-7 days or more, then this indicates the development of complications.
How contagious is the flu?
Influenza is a highly contagious infection. So, according to available data, within an hour, one patient is able to infect all people who are with him in the same closed room.
Is a flu shot required?
The flu shot is not mandatory, but it is strongly recommended to give it to children aged 3 months and older, adults, especially after 45 years, medical, educational and commercial workers, as well as people with chronic diseases and disorders in the functioning of the immune system. Only vaccination can be more or less reliable protection against influenza during the next epidemic.
Can I go to the bathhouse with the flu?
You should not go to the bathhouse with the flu. Firstly, doctors generally do not recommend leaving the house with this infection and require bed rest. Secondly, the temperature of the human body is increased, and in the bath, it can reach critical values. Thirdly, the body is weakened due to illness and additional stress will only aggravate the course of the infection.
Is there flu without fever?
Any infection can proceed without fever, including the flu. However, this is a dangerous signal that the immune system does not provide resistance to the disease, which is very bad. (Fever without symptoms - what are the causes and what to do?)
Can I breastfeed with the flu?
Breastfeeding with flu is possible if the mother is not taking any medications that are incompatible with lactation. It is recommended to cover the face with a special sterile mask during the feeding process.
Is the flu sexually transmitted?
Experts identify two ways of transmission of influenza: airborne and contact-household. The sexual route of transmission is not specified, although it is obvious that during intimacy, both methods of infection can be involved.
Does a mask save you from influenza?
Unfortunately, the mask will not be a reliable remedy against the flu, and this has been proven experimentally. According to a study carried out in a large medical center in Hanoi on 1607 doctors, it turned out:
- 97% of viruses and pathogenic microbes penetrate through the fabric masks;
- 56% of pathogens penetrate through masks made of non-woven material;
- Masks protect only from microscopic drops of mucus secreted by the patient when sneezing and coughing;
- With prolonged contact, droplets collect on the outer surface of the mask and become a source of infection.
The mask regime should be followed by a patient with influenza, so as not to infect others. A healthy person can apply a mask in close contact with a sick person, subject to replacement every hour and a half.
Can there be flu without coughing?
Yes, there may be no cough and runny nose at all, at least in the first three days after the onset of the disease. If it appears later, it is characterized as a "dry" cough. The appearance of a cough in the first 1-2 days is a sign of acute respiratory infections or ARVI.
Can I get the flu after getting vaccinated?
Flu symptoms in a vaccinated person are caused by:
- Too little time has passed after the vaccination, since the production of antibodies takes at least 7 days, preferably 2-3 weeks. It is advisable at this time to limit contacts to the maximum, not to visit places where a large number of people gather;
- The influenza virus that infected the patient belongs to a different strain not covered by the vaccine. This circumstance occurs very rarely, the vaccine is selected taking into account the features of the predicted epidemic danger. Even with such a mismatch of strains, the disease in a vaccinated person will proceed more easily and will not cause complications;
- The disease is caused not by influenza, but by ARVI viruses, that is, there is a diagnosis error;
- A person got into the same 2-4% of the total number of vaccinated people who do not develop immune protection against the disease. And even in this case, the flu will proceed according to the mildest scenario and will not cause dangerous complications.
Could there be vomiting with the flu?
Yes, maybe, since the influenza virus, getting into the human body, affects many organs and systems. With the help of vomiting, the immune system tries to rid the body of intoxication. Intoxication is especially dangerous for children, elderly and debilitated patients.
Can there be flu without a cold?
Yes, at the onset of the disease, a runny nose is not a characteristic symptom of the flu. The absence of signs of a cold in combination with fever and headache is one of the signs of infection with the flu.
Can I inhale the flu?
Since influenza is a disease of a viral nature, inhalations are completely ineffective for influenza, since they have no effect on the virus. In addition, any physiotherapeutic measures are contraindicated at high temperatures. Inhalation is used to treat complications of influenza (bronchitis, sinusitis, tracheitis) after the temperature drops to + 37.5 ° C.
Can I drink alcohol with the flu?
No, alcohol causes irritation of the mucous membranes of the pharynx, which are already inflamed, exacerbating the swelling and provoking an increase in the inflammatory process. The toxic damage caused by the influenza virus is intensified by the decay products of alcoholic beverages, which further exacerbates the condition of the sick person.
Does vodka help with flu?
According to medical experiments conducted in the USA In 1993, a small amount of vodka or good brandy can protect a person from infection with influenza and ARVI viruses.
The researchers explained this effect by the fact that alcohol increases the acidity of blood plasma. The increased pH level promotes the production of interferon, which neutralizes viruses and pathogenic microbes. In addition, the permeability of the walls of blood vessels and small capillaries increases. A similar process starts in the body when inflammatory processes of any etiology appear.
Can I go outside with the flu?
The gold standard for influenza treatment is bed rest, which must be followed until the signs of illness disappear. Any physical activity, including walking on the street, forces the cardiovascular, respiratory and circulatory systems to function actively. With an increased toxic load on the body with influenza, such a load is fraught with complications - myocardial dystrophy, heart failure. In the acute period of the disease, it is better, instead of walking, to more often ventilate the room in which the patient is located, protecting him from drafts.
Can I drink aspirin for the flu?
In contrast to the well-established opinion about the benefits of aspirin for influenza, it has been proven that it is unsafe to take it, and it is completely contraindicated for viral infections. Since aspirin acts on blood vessels already affected by the influenza virus, its intake can cause hemorrhagic edema of the lungs and kidneys, when the liquid fraction of blood penetrates the vascular walls and fills the organ. Aspirin in large doses causes liver necrosis, leads to acute hepatic and renal failure, provokes the appearance of Reye's syndrome with liver damage and encephalopathy.
Can I get the flu again in a week?
The influenza virus is highly contagious (infectious) and variability. Although, to certain types of this virus, a person can develop partial immunity for 1.5-3 years, a changed subspecies can re-infect the body.
However, in most repeated cases, the disease returns after a week for the following reasons:
- The disease was carried on the legs, or it was not cured to the end, and a relapse arose that struck the weakened body;
- A patient with a weakened immune system does not transmit the second time the flu, but one of the varieties of ARVI caused by adenoviruses.
Are antibiotics prescribed for the flu?
Influenza is a viral infection, therefore antibiotics do not affect the causative agent of the disease, since their action is directed exclusively against bacteria. Antibiotics are prescribed to treat complications caused by bacteria that attack a weakened body. The most common complications are pneumonia, bacterial bronchitis, otitis media, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, meningitis. Uncontrolled prescription of drugs of this pharmacological group leads to a decrease in general immunity.
Can you have sex with the flu?
Although the main route of transmission of influenza is airborne droplets, transmission of this infection cannot be ruled out during sexual intercourse. The influenza virus soon after infection is found in the blood (viremia), it penetrates through any membranes, including through the mucous membranes of the genital organs.
If you do not take into account this possibility of infection, having sex exposes your partner to a considerable risk of infection. The influenza virus can spread within a radius of 3 meters around the patient. In addition, any physical activity provokes the appearance of complications for the organism affected by intoxication.
Can there be diarrhea with the flu?
Yes, maybe the reason for this symptom is the most severe intoxication, which, among all other body systems, also affected the digestive tract. The pancreas and liver temporarily lose the ability to produce digestive enzymes for the complete digestion of food.
Can I wash my hair with the flu?
If the state of health allows, the patient can take a short shower to remove toxins actively excreted through the skin. It is desirable that the room is warm and the water temperature is not much higher than body temperature. After showering, it is recommended to wipe your skin dry and go to bed. During this procedure, a bathing cap is put on the hair to protect it from getting wet. Wet hair dries for a long time and can cause hypothermia, so you cannot wash your hair in the acute period of the disease in order to avoid complications.
Author of the article: Alekseeva Maria Yurievna | Therapist
Education: From 2010 to 2016 Practitioner of the therapeutic hospital of the central medical-sanitary unit No. 21, city of elektrostal. Since 2016 she has been working in the diagnostic center No. 3.
