JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
With winter still in full swing, the cold and flu viruses can present a constant threat to community health, comfort and function unless the correct precautions are applied on a daily and seasonal basis.
Both the cold and flu virus cause respiratory illness and are difficult to separate based on symptoms alone, Senior Airman Shannon Anderson, JBSA-Randolph Public Health technician, said. Despite the fact that the signs of these illnesses are similar, the flu usually comes on suddenly and the symptoms are considerably more intense and can possibly cause further illness and at times death.
"The basic signs and symptoms of flu can include a fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches and in some cases mild diarrhea or vomiting," Maj. William Lujan, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public Health Flight commander, said. "Key preventive measures are seasonally updated vaccinations, consistent hand washing and covering your mouth while sneezing or coughing."
Factors such as the medical actions taken to help create new vaccines and individual precautions can affect the severity of each cold and flu season.
There are many sicknesses with flu-like symptoms, which is why individuals, especially those with a fever, should be seen and tested by a medical provider, Lujan said. That is how the flu vaccines are generated. Typically providers follow which strains are present each year and provide a level of protection by trying to counteract the dominant ones with the next season's vaccine.
Even while seeking medical attention, individuals are encouraged to take proactive measures to stop the spread of illness by "wearing a mask in clinic waiting rooms," Anderson said.
"There are pre-positioned cough stations throughout the clinic that contain a mask for coughing and sneezing," Lujan said. "This will help prevent viruses from spreading to vulnerable people such as infants, young children, elderly individuals and pregnant women in the waiting rooms."
Regardless of the precautions of current vaccination and hand sanitation, children are exposed to many different agents at schools and are likely to bring something back to the rest of the family, Master Sgt. Michael Warren, JBSA-Randolph Public Health Flight chief, said. Parents should keep children home when they are sick.
"Since the common cold and the flu are caused by viruses, antibiotics will not help during preventative or treatment measures," Anderson said. "Rest, symptom-based treatment, hand washing and avoiding close contact with the ill is the best course of action. Most people who get the flu or the common cold will recover in a few days to less than two weeks."
For more information on cold and flu symmptoms and prevention, visit
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/coldflu.htm.