February 2010
A survival guide for the Cold and Flu season
Welcome to the February 2010 issue of the Health Matters Newsletter. The Health Matters Newsletter is published on a monthly basis on the Health Center home page, and is linked to the weekly Campus Report. The purpose of the newsletter is to share information regarding pertinent medical issues with the students, faculty and staff here at SUNY Fredonia.
As winter ramps up, so does the dreaded cold and flu season. And this year brings with it a pandemic that has every one of us on alert. During this past fall semester, and while the second wave of the H1N1 virus was hitting our nation, we saw a number of people with "influenza like symptoms", aka the flu. As we begin the spring semester, we are faced with typical colds, seasonal flu, and most likely the return of the H1N1 in a third and hopefully final wave for this pandemic. Here are some tips for keeping you and your family healthy during this cold and flu season.
What is the difference between a cold and the flu?
How to Keep Yourself Healthy during the Cold and Flu Season.
Do I still need to worry about the H1N1 virus?
What is the difference between a cold and the flu?
How many times have we dismissed sniffles as “just a cold: and carried on with a stuffy nose and sinus congestion assuming that the symptoms would eventually subside? Because flu symptoms are quite similar to cold symptoms, it’s often hard to tell the difference. Flu symptoms hit you quick and are more intense then that of a typical cold. The common cold eventually fizzles, but the flu can be deadly. It is important to know the differences, and to seek medical attention appropriately.
The flu is a viral infection caused by the influenza virus. The common cold is also a viral infection caused by the adenovirus or coronavirus and there are many, many subsets with a lot of variability of both. This is why there is no cure for the common cold and no vaccine available. The flu is known to be from influenza and is preventable with vaccination.
Flu symptoms usually come on quickly (within 3-6 hours) and consist of a fever, body aches, dry cough and extreme tiredness. Colds are less severe and people experience a runny nose, congestion, and sore throat. The flu can cause an epidemic or a pandemic with the potential for mortality, whereas the common cold is just a nuisance for us.
The following chart can help you compare flu symptoms with cold symptoms. Remember that if you are experiencing flu like symptoms, it is best to contact your medical provider or the student health center for assistance in managing these symptoms.
|
Symptoms
|
Cold |
Flu |
|
Fever |
Rare |
Characteristic, high (100-102 degrees F) usually lasting 3-4 days. |
|
Headache |
Rare |
Prominent
|
|
General body aches |
Slight |
Usual; often severe
|
|
Fatigue, weakness |
Mild |
Can last up to 2-3 weeks
|
|
Extreme Exhaustion |
Never |
Early and prominent
|
|
Stuffy nose |
Common |
Sometimes
|
|
Sneezing |
Usual |
Sometimes
|
|
Sore throat |
Common |
Sometimes
|
|
Chest Discomfort, Cough |
Mild to moderate; hacking cough |
Common; can become severe
|
How to Keep Yourself Healthy during the Cold and Flu Season .
1) Don’t panic. First, don’t panic about what you hear on the media. Take a deep breath. Keep in mind that our bodies are capable of fighting viruses and illnesses. A positive outlook on life can go a long way. Happy people seem to be sick less often than unhappy people.
2) Get plenty of Zzzzzzzzzzzz. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can make you more susceptible to illness by reducing the number of cells in your body dedicated to fighting things like microbes or infections. The average adult needs about 6-8 hours of sleep each day.
3) Bust a move. Exercising helps boost your immune system and overall makes you look and feel better.
4) Engage in germ warfare. Be obsessive about keeping your hands clean, since this is the major way that germs and viruses are spread. Research has shown that frequent hand washing (5 or more times a day) can reduce the chances of getting sick by almost 50%.
Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice while vigorously lathering the palms, between fingers , around nail beds, and the backs of hands. Pay close attention to hand hygiene before and after each meal, after playing outside, using the bathroom, handling pets, blowing noses, and after being anywhere in public.
Sneeze and cough into your arm or a tissue. Coughing into your hands puts the germs right where you can spread them to any object or person you touch.
5) Drink up. Drink lots of water. Staying hydrated flushes out germs, and improves the moisture level in your skin. Hydration also helps the immune system to work properly. Limit alcohol and caffeine, since they can actually dry out your body even more.
6) Air out. Open a window or two in your home just a crack for a few minutes each day. You will let out indoor air pollutants that may be stressing your immune systems as well as chase away germs.
7) Keep it cool. An overheated home promotes dry air, the perfect environment for viruses to thrive. This dry air can affect your mucous membranes as well. When the mucous membranes in your nose, mouth and tonsils are dry, they can’t trap germs very well. By lowering the heat in your house just 5 degrees and using a humidifier, you will be well on your way to a healthier level of humidity for fighting back on infections.
8) Pump up with produce. Eating a well balanced diet including fruits, veggies, proteins, and healthy fats is needed for immune function and maintenance.
9) Go easy on the sweets. Sugar makes the body acidic, just the way pathogens like it (they thrive on sugar).
10) Quit smoking. If you smoke, quit. Smoking suppresses immune cells from doing their jobs. Immune function starts improving 30 days after a person stops smoking.
11) Take a daily multivitamin. A daily multivitamin is fine for good health, but don’t overload yourself with Vitamin C, Zinc, and other herbal remedies valued for immune support. There is a thin line between just enough and too much. Too much of anything is going to suppress rather than boost.
12) Bundle Up. When it is extremely cold, your blood leaves your arms and your legs, and heads for your core in order to keep your vital organs warm. If you are cold and shivering, your system will concentrate all available energy into raising your core temperature rather than fighting germs, so you are much more apt to get sick. Gloves, hats, scarves, and thick socks all work to keep you warm and well.
Do I still need to worry about the H1N1 virus?
Every flu season has the potential to cause a lot of illness, doctor's visits, hospitalizations and deaths. The threat of the H1N1 flu is still very serious and very real. The virus is unpredictable and it's unclear whether we'll see a third wave of outbreak. The increase in vaccine supplies means that now is a good window of opportunity to get yourself, and your family, vaccinated. This is the best way to keep ourselves and our communities safe and healthy in the new year.
Since early October, when the H1N1 flu vaccine first became available, New York State has focused on providing access to the vaccine for New Yorkers in priority groups considered at highest risk of serious illness from the flu. As a result of these efforts and increased supplies of vaccines, it is now appropriate to expand access to the vaccine to help more New Yorkers get protection against the flu.
The H1N1 vaccine is as safe and effective as the ordinary seasonal flu vaccine and is developed using the same process as seasonal vaccine. Flu vaccines have consistently had excellent safety records in recent decades, as documented in multi-year studies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report on December 4 on the safety of the H1N1 vaccines that found no substantial differences between the safety of the H1N1 vaccines and that of the seasonal flu vaccines (see: http//www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5848a4.htm). Public health officials continue to emphasize that getting the vaccine is much safer than getting the flu.