Doctors told whether it is possible to catch the flu and coronavirus in the heat

Respiratory diseases can be caused by a total of more than 2.5 thousand pathogens. But there are only about 200 varieties of viruses among them. They cause SARS – an infection that affects the respiratory tract. Infectionists have long been saying that in recent years there has been a tendency to mix infections: the disease is often caused by several viruses at once or by viruses in combination with bacteria (there is even the term “mixed infection”), which significantly complicates treatment.

So, what viruses circulate in our country in any season and are most common.

From ARVI, parainfluenza, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus, various coronaviruses, metapneumoviruses are common.

Their symptoms manifest themselves in approximately the same way, and even an experienced infectious disease specialist is unlikely to be able to distinguish between them. Main manifestations: fever, weakness, fever, headache and muscle pain, runny nose, sore throat, cough. Of course, if you wish, you can find out what exactly you are sick with by doing tests. However, experts do not recommend doing this: treatment in any case does not depend on whether you have adenovirus or rhinovirus. No pathogenic drugs have been invented in the world that would act on respiratory viruses (that is, that would remove the virus from the body), so the treatment is only symptomatic.

To relieve painful symptoms, such as headache and muscle pain, high fever, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will help. They do not treat the cause of the disease, but in many ways make it easier to feel better. Just remember that you should not bring down the temperature if it is below 38-38.5 degrees, because an elevated temperature is evidence that the body is fighting infection.

Since the general strategy for the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections is based on complex therapy, the doctor will definitely prescribe you medications from different groups and, accordingly, different actions. The patient’s regimen is strictly bed. Plentiful drinking, for example, warm tea with honey and lemon, a rosehip decoction or an infusion of chamomile, thyme and St. John’s wort, can help speed up recovery. A large amount of fluid is needed to “flush out” the resulting toxic metabolic products during an infectious disease. It is important for relatives to monitor the hygiene of the premises – this will help prevent infection.

If this calms someone, he can buy widely presented antivirals in a pharmacy, but there is not one whose effectiveness has been proven.

Influenza is usually classified as a separate category: unlike other acute respiratory viral infections, it develops suddenly, is characterized by a rapid rise in temperature (sometimes to critical values), strong signs of intoxication: headache, joint and muscle pain, photophobia, severe weakness, children can often have nausea , vomit. Runny nose, sore throat, cough appear later. Usually the temperature lasts from two to five days, if it does not decrease by the end of the fifth day, this may indicate the development of complications.

The temperature during acute respiratory viral infections most often rises slightly (at most – up to 38-38.5) and can last from one to several days, and catarrhal symptoms – to join on the rise, for example, start with a sore throat, and then “go down” to Airways.

From the state of general health, the level of immunity, the presence or absence of chronic diseases, age, it largely depends on how difficult the acute respiratory viral infection will be, whether it will give complications, and how severe these complications will be.

Self-medication, of course, is not welcome. Only a doctor, having assessed the symptoms, is able to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the correct therapy.

As a well-known infectious disease specialist, Professor Nikolai Malyshev, told MK, the situation with respiratory infections in the capital region is now calm: “There is no flu at all, there are adenovirus and rhinovirus infections, nothing out of the ordinary. For summer, intestinal infections are more typical, especially now it is hot and humid, and in some regions there are floods, which always worsens the sanitary and hygienic situation. Therefore, monitor the shelf life of products, wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly, and do not forget about personal hygiene.

Meanwhile, recently a new paper was published in the scientific journal The Nature, which compares the symptoms of such SARS as influenza, RSV, rhinovirus, seasonal coronavirus and COVID-19. In addition, scientists assessed the changes in symptoms of COVID-19 during waves caused by different variants of the virus. And they concluded that over time, the symptom profile of COVID-19 became more similar to other SARS due to an increase in the frequency of coughing, sneezing, runny nose and sore throat. But fever remains a more common symptom of the flu.

Respiratory viruses suppressed by lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic have recently been co-circulating with SARS-CoV-2. The symptom profile of SARS-CoV-2 increasingly resembles those of other respiratory viruses as new strains emerge, scientists say. Increasing cough, sore throat, runny nose and sneezing is associated with Omicron strains. As SARS-CoV-2 becomes endemic, monitoring the evolution of symptoms associated with new variants will be critical to clinical follow-up. “The growing similarity of COVID-19 symptoms with other acute respiratory viral infections makes syndromic surveillance less effective, emphasizing the importance of laboratory diagnostics,” says laboratory diagnostics doctor Alexander Solovyov.

Well, closer to autumn, epidemiologists are waiting for the arrival of a new sub-variant of Omicron – EG.5 (Eris).

Recall that EG.5 contains many new mutations. “The fact that the new variant of the virus is incredibly resistant to immunity after past infections/vaccinations will allow the virus to spread widely and cause re-infections. According to recent publications, re-infection is 1.06 times more likely to lead to severe illness. 5.9% of those re-infected die if the first case of COVID-19 was severe. The symptoms of COVID-19 when infected with EG.5 differ little from the symptoms when infected with Omicron,” says Alexander Solovyov.

Meanwhile, Nikolai Malyshev believes that the Russians should not be afraid of a sharp outbreak of a new subspecies of Omicron: “The coronavirus is constantly evolving, new variants appear, but so far everything they result in is not spreading so much, but is easier to bear. Therefore, we take care of ourselves, and if symptoms of SARS appear, we consult a doctor.

Solovyov named the main clinical manifestations of Eris: sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, coughing, hoarse voice, headache and muscle pain, coughing, impaired sense of smell.

According to separate reports, epidemiologists note, physical symptoms are worse than when infected with coronavirus last time, fog in the head is significantly pronounced.