Flu is also known as influenza, and it is an acute infection in the respiratory tract of human beings. In such a situation, you go through multiple medical conditions that can make your day worst. The article contains knowledge regarding the causes of flu and the treatments through which you can quickly recover from such a disease.
How can you catch influenza?
Suppose there is someone in your family who has caught the flu; there are high chances that you may catch the virus too. It is because you can catch it through your breath from the tiny airborne droplets from the coughs and sneezes others have.
Symptoms
There are a number of signs through which you can figure out if you are going through such a condition or not. People do mix cold and flu multiple times, but the fact is, they both are different. Cold can occur two or three times a year, whereas flu mostly happens once a year.
In the flu, the symptoms appear in the early days. As you get in contact with the virus, the symptoms may start to arise within 1 to 7 days.
The very first sign of the flu is fever. The fever can start from 102°F and can get to 106°.
If you are a child, you may get a high fever, unlike the adults who will have all the symptoms with less temperature.
The most common symptoms of the flu are:
- Body aches
- Chills
- Headache
- Vomiting and nausea
- Dizziness
- Such symptoms appear in the first few days. They may worsen to lead to symptoms such as
- Sore Throat
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Symptoms affecting the breathing
How do doctors detect flu or influenza?
Most of the people affected with flu do not need to go to a doctor as, in most cases, conditions are in control, and there is no severity.
When you reach out to a doctor, they will be able to diagnose the flu within a short time. It is because the indications of such a medical condition are pretty clear. The health care providers can easily help you in knowing what you can do to reduce the flu and its symptoms.
Swabbing the nose or throat can help in detecting the flu. The results of this kind of virus are also pretty fast. You can get the results within a short time. After such tests, the healthcare professionals can assist you properly with adequate prescriptions for tackling this condition.
Who needs to be more careful?
Influenza is a disease that can happen to anyone at any time. There is no limit to age or gender. From a newborn baby to a person who is in their 90s can be affected by such a virus.
The ones who are at higher risk of getting complications are:
- Children below the age of 2
- Women that are pregnant(more than three months)
- People having the age above 65
- The ones with heart, kidney, or lung diseases
- People with the weak immune system
- The ones living under any healthcare facility
The complications one might face include meningitis, pneumonia, infection of the brain, and seizures. Every year in the USA, millions of people get affected by influenza and get better within a few days. But severe complications also cause the death of more than 36,000 people in America every single year. So it is better if you seek a doctor before a complication worsens.
Prevention of influenza
As said above, influenza is pretty contagious; it can spread through the air. Once a person with influenza sneezes in a room, there are very high chances of getting affected through it.
You can avoid the virus in numerous ways.
- The first and the best option is to get your flu vaccine
- Avoid sharing your stuff, including cups, bottles, and utensils, with anyone if you are having a flu
- When sneezing or coughing, cover your mouth with tissue paper and throw it off.
- Stay in quarantine for 24 hours till your fever has gone.
Treat yourself naturally
Get plenty of rest
To get yourself treated at home, do not go to your school or work. Get the rest you deserve. Do not do tasks that take time and power. Lay yourself on the bed and spend your time doing what you like watching a movie, etc.
Be Hydrated
When going through influenza, it is really very important to get water and other fluid in your body. These juices, soups, and water can aid in keeping your lungs hydrated. It helps in clearing out the mucus by making it a thin liquid that comes out of the body through coughs. The mucus needs to come out of the body. It is because if the mucus stays on the lungs, an infection can occur.
Use Saline nose drops.
The saline nose drops can actually help you to blow the mucus out. It actually helps in unblocking the nostrils.
Steamy bathroom
Get yourself in a steamy bathroom. This will help in fighting the flu. It can be done easily by opening the hot shower and getting your door locked until the bathroom gets steamed up. Stay there until you start feeling better.
Why get yourself treated as soon as possible?
The flu is not that dangerous for many people. But it is surely sometimes serious. It is good if you are taking care of yourself in natural ways, but many times, you need to seek a doctor. The flu can get severe if you do not see any betterment through the natural ways. The doctors can prescribe medicines accordingly.
Conclusion
Influenza or flu should is a normal medication condition that any individual can go through. The most painful aspect of such a condition is the fever and dizziness you feel through the entire flu of around two weeks. Some diseases like cough may even take longer than two weeks to recover. It is better to seek help from your doctors to get out of a situation where your symptoms start worsening. If you are in need of health care professionals to treat you at home, you can get the CDPAP program and can get your caregivers at any time!