Sore throat presents as pain ,itching sensation or irritation in the throat, usually hurts more when you swallow. The most common cause of a sore throat (pharyngitis) is a viral infection, such as a cold or the flu. Most sore throats are caused by infections, or by environmental factors like dry air. Although a sore throat can be uncomfortable, it will usually go away on its own.

Causes of sore throat

• Viral infection
• Bacterial infection
• Allergy to pollens, molds and smoke
• Poor Oro dental hygiene
• Acid reflux

Treatment includes

How to prevent a sore throat

While a sore throat cannot always be avoided, there are several steps you can take to help prevent it.

Some ways you may be able to prevent a sore throat includeTrusted Source:

Overview

Leptospirosis, also called Weil disease, is the most common zoonotic infection in the world. One can get leptospirosis after getting water or soil contaminated by animal pee (urine) in your nose, your mouth, your eyes or a break in your skin. Leptospirosis risk often increases after a hurricane or flood when people have contact with contaminated water or soil. leptospirosis in people can lead to kidney damage, meningitis (inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord), liver failure, trouble breathing, and even death.

You can get leptospirosis no matter where you live, but it’s most common in tropical areas and warmer climates with lots of rainfall each year. You’re at an increased risk for leptospirosis if you live in or travel to these areas.

It generally takes 2-30 days to get sick after having contact with the bacteria that cause leptospirosis. The disease may occur in two phases:

• In the first phase, people may have fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, or diarrhea. The person may feel better for a while but become ill again.

• Some people may suffer a more severe second phase with kidney or liver failure, or inflammation of the membrane around the brain and spinal cord (meningitis).

The illness can last from a few days to several weeks. Without treatment, getting better may take several months.

Signs and symptoms

In people, leptospirosis can cause a wide range of symptoms, including:

• Fever
• Headache
• Chills
• Body or muscle aches
• Vomiting or nausea
• Yellowed skin and eyes (jaundice)
• Red eyes
• Stomach pain
• Diarrhea
• Rash

Many of these symptoms can be mistaken for other diseases. Some people have no symptoms.

 Phases of leptospirosis

Leptospirosis consists of two phases: the leptospiremic (acute) phase and the immune (delayed) phase.

Understanding Dengue

Dengue fever is an Arboviral disease meaning it is an infection caused by a group of viruses that are spread by the bite-infected mosquitoes and ticks. The Aedes genus of mosquitoes, found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, is responsible for the transmission of dengue fever. You will notice such diseases more in the warmer seasons as these insects are more active. Dengue is a viral disease caused by any of the four related viruses: dengue virus 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The Different Types of Dengue Fever

 Dengue virus triggers your immune system and causes fever.There are 4 distinct serotypes of the dengue virus: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. They are all RNA viruses belonging to the Flavivirus family/genus. All these subtypes can cause severe infections. However, research has shown specific serotypes to be more harmful, especially DENV-1 or DENV-2.

Dengue fever is classified into three types, depending upon its severity:

• Dengue Fever – the primary infection, which is usually benign
• Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF)
• Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS).

Based on your clinical signs, your doctor can diagnose which type of dengue fever you are affected by.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

Symptoms, which usually begin four to six days after infection and last for up to 10 days, may include

• Sudden, high fever
• Severe headaches
• Pain behind the eyes
• Severe joint and muscle pain
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Skin rash, which appears two to five days after the onset of fever
• Mild bleeding (such a nose bleed, bleeding gums, or easy bruising)

Sometimes, symptoms are mild and can be mistaken for those of the flu or another viral infection. Younger children and people who have never had the infection before tend to have milder cases than older children and adults. However, serious problems can develop. These include dengue hemorrhagic fever, a rare complication characterized by high fever, damage to lymph and blood vessels, bleeding from the nose and gums, enlargement of the liver, and failure of the circulatory system. The symptoms may progress to massive bleeding, shock, and death. This is called dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

People with weakened immune systems as well as those with a second or subsequent dengue infection are believed to be at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Diagnosing Dengue Fever

Doctors can diagnose dengue infection with a blood test to check for the virus or antibodies to it. If you become sick after traveling to a tropical area, let your doctor know. This will allow your doctor to evaluate the possibility that your symptoms were caused by a dengue infection.

Treatment for Dengue Fever

There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection. If you think you may have dengue fever, you should use pain relievers with acetaminophen and avoid medicines with aspirin, which could worsen bleeding. You should also rest, drink plenty of fluids, and see your doctor. If you start to feel worse in the first 24 hours after your fever goes down, you should get to a hospital immediately to be checked for complications.

Is Platelet count very important?

Contrary to the popular public opinion, platelet counts are not important for the child’s treatment. Platelet tends to decrease during infection and increase during recovery. Administering platelets doesn’t hasten recovery. However, rarely doctor might order platelets when there is visible bleeding.

It is not the drop in platelet count, but the drop in blood pressure which can be fatal.

It makes more sense to follow up marker of leakage called hematocrit rather than platelet count. Further level of platelet count doesn’t predict if the child is going to be sick. It is best to prevent paranoia around platelet count and running around blood banks for get platelets.

For people with severe dengue, hospitalization is often needed.

Preventing Dengue Fever

 The best way to prevent the disease is to prevent bites by infected mosquitoes, particularly if you are living in or traveling to a tropical area. This involves protecting yourself and making efforts to keep the mosquito population down. Eat some fruits like pomegranate, papaya, kiwi fruit etc for increasing blood platelet count.

• Kiwi fruit, fig, Pomogranates, papaya etc( these will increase the blood count )
• Juice made from young leaves of papaya.(daily have one time 5ml or 3ml- continue for 3-5 days).

 

 

Influenza, commonly called “the flu,” is an illness caused by RNA viruses (Orthomyxoviridae family) that infect the respiratory tract of many animals, birds, and humans.(nose, throat and lungs.) but it’s not the same as stomach “flu” viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting.For most people, the flu resolves on its own. But sometimes, influenza and its complications can be deadly.

Risk of developing flu complications include:

• Young children under age 5, and especially those under 6 months
• Adults older than age 65
• Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• Pregnant women and women up to two weeks after giving birth
• People with weakened immune systems
• Native Americans
• People who have chronic illnesses, such as asthma, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease and diabetes
• People who are very obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher

Though the annual influenza vaccine isn’t 100% effective, it’s still your best defense against the flu.

Symptoms

At first, the flu may seem like a common cold with a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. But colds usually develop slowly, whereas the flu tends to come on suddenly. And although a cold can be a bother, you usually feel much worse with the flu.

Common signs and symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever
• Aching muscles
• Chills and sweats
• Headache
• Dry, persistent cough
• Shortness of breath
• Tiredness and weakness
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sore throat
• Eye pain
• Vomiting and diarrhea, but this is more common in children than adults

If you have emergency signs and symptoms of the flu, get medical care right away. For adults, emergency signs and symptoms can include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Ongoing dizziness
• Seizures
• Worsening of existing medical conditions
• Severe weakness or muscle pain

Emergency signs and symptoms in children can include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Blue lips
• Chest pain
• Dehydration
• Severe muscle pain
• Seizures
• Worsening of existing medical conditions

Diagnosing Flu

Some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, making it hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. Diagnostic testing can help determine if you are sick with the flu or COVID-19.

Medical professionals clinically diagnose the flu by evaluating the patient’s history of association with people known to have the disease and their symptoms listed above. Usually, a health care professional performs a quick test (for example, nasopharyngeal swab sample) to see if the patient has an influenza A or B viral infection. Most of the tests can distinguish between A and B types.

A number of flu tests are available to detect influenza viruses in respiratory specimens. The most common are called “rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs).” RIDTs work by detecting the parts of the virus (antigens) that stimulate an immune response. These tests can provide results within approximately 10-15 minutes but are not as accurate as other flu tests. Therefore, you could still have flu, even though your rapid test result is negative. Other flu tests are called “rapid molecular assays” that detect genetic material of the virus. Rapid molecular assays produce results in 15-20 minutes and are more accurate than RIDTs. In addition, there are several more accurate and sensitive flu tests available that must be performed in specialized laboratories, such as those found in hospitals or state public health laboratories. All of these tests require that a health care provider swipe the inside of your nose or the back of your throat with a swab and then send the swab for testing. Results may take one to several hours

The flu is typically contagious about 24-48 hours before symptoms appear (from about the last day of the incubation period) and in normal healthy adults is contagious for another 5-7 days. Children are usually contagious for a little while longer (about 7-10 days). Individuals with severe infections may be contagious as long as symptoms last (about 7-14 days).

Complications

If you’re young and healthy, the flu usually isn’t serious. Although you may feel miserable while you have it, the flu usually goes away in a week or two with no lasting effects. But children and adults at high risk may develop complications that may include:

• Pneumonia
• Bronchitis
• Asthma flare-ups
• Heart problems
• Ear infections
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Pneumonia is one of the most serious complications. For older adults and people with a chronic illness, pneumonia can be deadly.

Types of Influenza Viruses

This graphic shows the two types of influenza viruses (A,B) that cause most human illness and that are responsible for the flu season each year. Influenza A viruses are further classified into subtypes, while influenza B viruses are further classified into two lineages: B/Yamagata and B/Victoria. Both influenza A and B viruses can be further classified into specific clades and sub-clades (which are sometimes called groups and sub-groups).

Flu Treatment and Prevention

If you get sick with flu, antiviral drugs may be a treatment option.

Check with your doctor promptly if you are at high risk of serious flu complications and you get flu symptoms.  People at high risk of flu complications include young children, adults 65 years of age and older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease.

When used for treatment, antiviral drugs can lessen symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by 1 or 2 days. They also can prevent serious flu complications, like pneumonia. For people at high risk of serious flu complications, treatment with antiviral drugs can mean the difference between milder or more serious illness possibly resulting in a hospital stay. CDC recommends prompt treatment for people who have influenza infection or suspected influenza infection and who are at high risk of serious flu complications.

Annual influenza vaccination can prevent most of the illness and death that influenza causes. The CDC’s current Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued recommendations for everyone 6 months of age and older, who do not have any contraindications to vaccination, to receive a flu vaccine each year.

Flu vaccine (influenza vaccine made from inactivated and sometimes attenuated [noninfective] virus or virus components) is specifically recommended for those who are at high risk for developing serious complications from influenza infection.

Other simple hygiene methods can reduce or prevent some individuals from getting the flu. For example, avoiding kissing, handshakes, and sharing drinks or food with infected people and avoiding touching surfaces like sinks and other items handled by individuals with the flu are good preventive measures. Washing one’s hands with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently during the day may help prevent the infection. Individuals with the flu should avoid coughing or sneezing on uninfected people; quick hugs are probably okay as long as there is no contact with mucosal surfaces and/or droplets that may contain the virus. Wearing a mask may help reduce your chances of getting the disease, and if you unknowingly or know you have the infection, help to reduce spreading it to others

Controlling the spread of infection

The influenza vaccine isn’t 100% effective, so it’s also important to take several measures to reduce the spread of infection, including:

• Wash your hands. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is an effective way to prevent many common infections. Or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers if soap and water aren’t available.
• Avoid touching your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Then wash your hands.
• Clean surfaces. Regularly clean often-touched surfaces to prevent spread of infection from touching a surface with the virus on it and then your face.
• Avoid crowds. The flu spreads easily wherever people gather — in child care centers, schools, office buildings, auditoriums and public transportation. By avoiding crowds during peak flu season, you reduce your chances of infection.Also avoid anyone who is sick. And if you’re sick, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone so that you lessen your chance of infecting others.

Takeaway

Influenza viruses travel through the air in droplets when someone with the infection coughs, sneezes or talks. You can inhale the droplets directly, or you can pick up the germs from an object — such as a telephone or computer keyboard — and then transfer them to your eyes, nose or mouth.

People with the virus are likely contagious from about a day before symptoms appear until about five days after they start. Children and people with weakened immune systems may be contagious for a slightly longer time.

During the COVID -19 pandemic, both COVID -19 and the flu may be spreading at the same time. Your local health practioner may help and suggest other precautions to reduce your risk of COVID -19  or the flu. For example, you may need to practice social distancing (physical distancing) and stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) from others outside your household. You may also need to wear a cloth face mask when around people outside your household.

 

Influenza, commonly called “the flu,” is an illness caused by RNA viruses (Orthomyxoviridae family) that infect the respiratory tract of many animals, birds, and humans.(nose, throat and lungs.) but it’s not the same as stomach “flu” viruses that cause diarrhea and vomiting.For most people, the flu resolves on its own. But sometimes, influenza and its complications can be deadly.

Risk of developing flu complications include:

• Young children under age 5, and especially those under 6 months
• Adults older than age 65
• Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• Pregnant women and women up to two weeks after giving birth
• People with weakened immune systems
• Native Americans
• People who have chronic illnesses, such as asthma, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease and diabetes
• People who are very obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher

Though the annual influenza vaccine isn’t 100% effective, it’s still your best defense against the flu.

Symptoms

At first, the flu may seem like a common cold with a runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. But colds usually develop slowly, whereas the flu tends to come on suddenly. And although a cold can be a bother, you usually feel much worse with the flu.

Common signs and symptoms of the flu include:

• Fever
• Aching muscles
• Chills and sweats
• Headache
• Dry, persistent cough
• Shortness of breath
• Tiredness and weakness
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Sore throat
• Eye pain
• Vomiting and diarrhea, but this is more common in children than adults

If you have emergency signs and symptoms of the flu, get medical care right away. For adults, emergency signs and symptoms can include:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Ongoing dizziness
• Seizures
• Worsening of existing medical conditions
• Severe weakness or muscle pain

Emergency signs and symptoms in children can include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Blue lips
• Chest pain
• Dehydration
• Severe muscle pain
• Seizures
• Worsening of existing medical conditions

Diagnosing Flu

Some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, making it hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. Diagnostic testing can help determine if you are sick with the flu or COVID-19.

Medical professionals clinically diagnose the flu by evaluating the patient’s history of association with people known to have the disease and their symptoms listed above. Usually, a health care professional performs a quick test (for example, nasopharyngeal swab sample) to see if the patient has an influenza A or B viral infection. Most of the tests can distinguish between A and B types.

A number of flu tests are available to detect influenza viruses in respiratory specimens. The most common are called “rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs).” RIDTs work by detecting the parts of the virus (antigens) that stimulate an immune response. These tests can provide results within approximately 10-15 minutes but are not as accurate as other flu tests. Therefore, you could still have flu, even though your rapid test result is negative. Other flu tests are called “rapid molecular assays” that detect genetic material of the virus. Rapid molecular assays produce results in 15-20 minutes and are more accurate than RIDTs. In addition, there are several more accurate and sensitive flu tests available that must be performed in specialized laboratories, such as those found in hospitals or state public health laboratories. All of these tests require that a health care provider swipe the inside of your nose or the back of your throat with a swab and then send the swab for testing. Results may take one to several hours

The flu is typically contagious about 24-48 hours before symptoms appear (from about the last day of the incubation period) and in normal healthy adults is contagious for another 5-7 days. Children are usually contagious for a little while longer (about 7-10 days). Individuals with severe infections may be contagious as long as symptoms last (about 7-14 days).

Complications

If you’re young and healthy, the flu usually isn’t serious. Although you may feel miserable while you have it, the flu usually goes away in a week or two with no lasting effects. But children and adults at high risk may develop complications that may include:

• Pneumonia
• Bronchitis
• Asthma flare-ups
• Heart problems
• Ear infections
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Pneumonia is one of the most serious complications. For older adults and people with a chronic illness, pneumonia can be deadly.

Types of Influenza Viruses

This graphic shows the two types of influenza viruses (A,B) that cause most human illness and that are responsible for the flu season each year. Influenza A viruses are further classified into subtypes, while influenza B viruses are further classified into two lineages: B/Yamagata and B/Victoria. Both influenza A and B viruses can be further classified into specific clades and sub-clades (which are sometimes called groups and sub-groups).

Flu Treatment and Prevention

If you get sick with flu, antiviral drugs may be a treatment option.

Check with your doctor promptly if you are at high risk of serious flu complications and you get flu symptoms.  People at high risk of flu complications include young children, adults 65 years of age and older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart disease.

When used for treatment, antiviral drugs can lessen symptoms and shorten the time you are sick by 1 or 2 days. They also can prevent serious flu complications, like pneumonia. For people at high risk of serious flu complications, treatment with antiviral drugs can mean the difference between milder or more serious illness possibly resulting in a hospital stay. CDC recommends prompt treatment for people who have influenza infection or suspected influenza infection and who are at high risk of serious flu complications.

Annual influenza vaccination can prevent most of the illness and death that influenza causes. The CDC’s current Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued recommendations for everyone 6 months of age and older, who do not have any contraindications to vaccination, to receive a flu vaccine each year.

Flu vaccine (influenza vaccine made from inactivated and sometimes attenuated [noninfective] virus or virus components) is specifically recommended for those who are at high risk for developing serious complications from influenza infection.

Other simple hygiene methods can reduce or prevent some individuals from getting the flu. For example, avoiding kissing, handshakes, and sharing drinks or food with infected people and avoiding touching surfaces like sinks and other items handled by individuals with the flu are good preventive measures. Washing one’s hands with soap and water or by using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently during the day may help prevent the infection. Individuals with the flu should avoid coughing or sneezing on uninfected people; quick hugs are probably okay as long as there is no contact with mucosal surfaces and/or droplets that may contain the virus. Wearing a mask may help reduce your chances of getting the disease, and if you unknowingly or know you have the infection, help to reduce spreading it to others

Controlling the spread of infection

The influenza vaccine isn’t 100% effective, so it’s also important to take several measures to reduce the spread of infection, including:

• Wash your hands. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is an effective way to prevent many common infections. Or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers if soap and water aren’t available.
• Avoid touching your face. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your elbow. Then wash your hands.
• Clean surfaces. Regularly clean often-touched surfaces to prevent spread of infection from touching a surface with the virus on it and then your face.
• Avoid crowds. The flu spreads easily wherever people gather — in child care centers, schools, office buildings, auditoriums and public transportation. By avoiding crowds during peak flu season, you reduce your chances of infection.Also avoid anyone who is sick. And if you’re sick, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone so that you lessen your chance of infecting others.

Takeaway

Influenza viruses travel through the air in droplets when someone with the infection coughs, sneezes or talks. You can inhale the droplets directly, or you can pick up the germs from an object — such as a telephone or computer keyboard — and then transfer them to your eyes, nose or mouth.

People with the virus are likely contagious from about a day before symptoms appear until about five days after they start. Children and people with weakened immune systems may be contagious for a slightly longer time.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, both CO and the flu may be spreading at the same time. Your local health practioner may help and suggest other precautions to reduce your risk of COVID-19 or the flu. For example, you may need to practice social distancing (physical distancing) and stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) from others outside your household. You may also need to wear a cloth face mask when around people outside your household.

Winter has arrived, and with it comes cold and flu season. You do your best to keep yourself and your family healthy, despite your best efforts, you may still find yourself ill.Common health problems like cold, cough, fever, dryness, asthma, joint pain are widely noticed.The cold season cools your body and this makes simple illness harder to heal. Thus, you need to take precautionary measures before you ever allow a common disease to leave you hospitalised. Here are few winter diseases/illness that you and your child are prone to.

Dry Skin:

It is one of the most common problems faced during winters. Cracked skin, bleeding, pain and infection are apparent due to dryness. A few winter tips for skin like using moisturizers, mild moisturizing soap rather than regular one or applying hand lotion or petroleum jelly can help you in avoiding this problem.

Flu:

Winters are commonly known as the flu season. The flu viruses spread through the air and during winters, your immune system might get little slower than usual. In order to avoid this most common winter disease, make sure to eat a healthy and nutritious diet, drink enough water and exercise regularly.

Joint Pain:

It is most commonly seen in arthritis patients. Drastic fall in temperature can trigger joint pain leading to immobility in some cases. Make sure you wear warm clothes. Please exercise especially during the winter season to keep the body warm.

Asthma:

Cold weather triggers asthma attacks. Winters come with a lot of allergens in the air, which is the main causative factor for asthma. Wear an air purifying mask outside to avoid inhaling any allergen.

Sore Throat:

A Sore Throat is the very first sign that you may be suffering from a bad cold. Most people do not care to treat it and as a result, this may get worse. This disease is one of the most common winter diseases and is usually caused by viral infections.

Could it be coronavirus?

If you have a high temperature, a new, continuous cough or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, it could be coronavirus (COVID-19).

If you have any of the main symptoms of coronavirus:

1. Get a test to check if you have coronavirus as soon as possible.
2. You and anyone you live with should stay at home and not have visitors until you get your test result – only leave your home to have a test.

Anyone in your support bubble should also stay at home if you have been in close contact with them since your symptoms started or during the 48 hours before they started.

Strep Throat

Strep is most often seen in school-aged children. Strep presents as a sore throat, headache, and stomachache. Some people will experience a high fever or vomiting.  Strep throat does not usually cause cold symptoms or coughing and it can usually be easily treated with antibiotics.

Norovirus

Also known as the winter vomiting bug, norovirus is an extremely infectious stomach bug. It can strike throughout the year but is more common in the winter. The illness is unpleasant, but it’s usually over within a few days. If you are ill with vomiting and diarrhea, it’s important to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.

Cold Sores:

The reason for cold sores to occur in winter is majorly because of the harshness of the dry and cold environment. The dry and cold air dries out the lips; which make them more susceptible to the herpes virus. Adequate nutrition, regular exercise, Home Remedies for Cold and rest will help reduce the chances of getting cold sores.

Pneumonia:

Unlike other common winter illnesses, pneumonia is often caused due to bacterial infection. Pneumonia is a life-threatening disease that can be fatal and this usually starts with viral and fungal infection. This disease clogs the alveoli that are tiny air sacs in your lungs and fills it with fluids. This disease can happen among young people, but if an older person is suffering from it, it can turn out to be dangerous.

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