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Common Cold and Flu: Viral Infections, Symptoms, Medications

Updated on 19 January 2022
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Class12Medical
7 min read 8 views
Updated on 19 January 2022

Common cold and Flu happens frequently in winters. People often experience uneasiness in the ear, nose and throat. These are the initial symptoms of a cold. Cold is basically an infection in the nose and throat. The condition of the common cold is harmless and treatable. It takes only 2 – 4 days to resolve this condition. There are more than 10 million cases of this common cold and flu per year. 


The Common cold symptoms include pain in the throat and muscles, body – ache, cough, congestion, uneasiness in breathing, headache, chest pressure, runny nose and many more. The pain in the throat is the first symptom. Therefore, you must take medication immediately so that the cold doesn’t escalate. Home remedies include drinking green tea, taking steam, eating vegetables and having soup etc. 


If the condition of cold doesn’t resolve, then you can take allopathic or homeopathic medicine, whichever suits you. Common cold transmission takes place when people touch contaminated surfaces or sit close to each other. It also spreads by sneezing or coughing and handshakes. Therefore, it is advisable that a person experiencing the common cold must stay away from others for at least 2 days in order to avoid transmission. Thus, if you feel that you have a cold, then you must take proper medications.    


What help in relieving cold and viral infections?


People often try to find an answer to the above-mentioned question. Apart from the home remedies, Antihistamines is a medicine for a runny nose that you can take. It will give you relief from sneezing. Cough syrups will help you in getting relief from the dry cough that people may be experiencing. Another medicine named, non - steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can be used if you have a fever.


These three are the medicines that are commonly used in cases of common cold or influenza. Thus, these are relief providing medicines and can be taken when you experience the symptoms of a common cold. 



Now, what is Respiratory Virus Interference? It is a kind of virus interference that happens when a person is suffering from a cold. Many studies show that this virus interference results in shortness of breath among people. Many people think that it is influenza. But it is not so. It might be somewhat the same but not as a whole. The respiratory virus attacks the respiratory organs including mainly the nose and throat. 


When you experience shortness of breath, it means the common cold has attacked your eyes, nose and throat. There are interfering waves issues in respiratory viruses. With virus interference, many viruses enter the body thereby attacking the respiratory organs. There are many viruses that enter the body and are resistant to medications. Such conditions escalate the sickness and people suffer from grave diseases.  


Common cold viruses are ubiquitous and invade by which route? People ask this question various times. Well, like the respiratory virus, the common cold viruses come by the respiratory and surface route. Common cold first develops pain in the throat and head which is carried forward to the body – ache, runny nose, pain in muscles and much more.


These common cold viruses are treatable and they are of course harmless. But this only happens, when the medications are taken on time. Thus, to avoid the common cold viruses along with other infections entering your body, you need to take care of yourself and take proper medications.  


Now, let’s talk about Influenza. Influenza, commonly called 'Flu' is a condition where the viruses attack the lungs, throat and nose. It is a deadly virus and can have grave consequences. There are also around 10 million cases per year of flu. Flu is easily transmitted and can be prevented through vaccines. There is not much of a difference between cold and flu. But flu is a deadly virus. The symptoms are also the same as that of cold. It is important to know that Flu attacks the lungs which can be dangerous. 


Now, there is viral interference in the case of influenza viruses. Influenza A viruses include many other viruses that cause the illness in the body thereby leading to fatigue and dizziness. Influenza A and B can cause the seasonal flu which is somewhat treatable. This virus attacks the respiratory organs like the nose, throat and lungs. So you can have a sore throat or a runny nose. This condition can escalate if proper medications are not taken. 


Virus - Virus interactions impact the population dynamics of influenza and common cold. Common cold initially attacks the respiratory tracts and so does Influenza. Cold is harmless but Influenza is harmful as it leads to uneasiness in breathing, pain in muscles which can have grave consequences. Influenza can be prevented by injection and cold can be healed with the help of medicines stated above. Thus, Influenza and Cold can affect population dynamics. 


People are often confused between Cold and Influenza. Influenza and Common Cold symptoms are the same but Influenza is considered to be more deadly than cold. It is somewhat difficult to recover from influenza unlike cold. So, people take medications and several injections to avoid fatal consequences. Therefore, if you experience a runny nose or a sore throat, you must immediately take medicines or rely on home remedies.    


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