Virus Related Tips & Reminders

Soap and water, still best defense.

Your best defense is washing your hands frequently, especially after shaking hands.

"Just as serious as people sneezing and sending droplets through the air, is shaking hands with someone who has just coughed or sneezed. When you rub your eyes, nose or mouth, you inoculate yourself with those germs. The eyes, nose and mouth are all mucous membranes and pathways into your body," Charles D. Ericsson, M.D., professor and clinical director of Infectious Diseases at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and director of the UT Travel Medicine Clinic explains.
Love thy neighbor

Being courteous and staying healthy are synonymous this time of year and will go a long way in protection. Ericsson recommends that you cover your nose with a tissue when sneezing, cup your cough, wash your hands often and stay home if you are sick.
Someone old; someone new

"It is important to identify the groups who would be most at risk if they get the flu. Watch out for them in your family and friends: The very old, the very young, pregnant women, and people with chronic heart and lung diseases, such as asthma and emphysema.," says epidemiologist George L. Delclos, M.D., MPH, medical director of The University of Texas Health Services at Houston. These persons need protection because having the flu can predispose them to bacterial pneumonia.
Cover your own bases

"If you are caring for a flu patient, and you have not been vaccinated, there are prescription drugs (Tamiflu) that can decrease the likelihood of you getting it, and those same products can shorten the duration of the patient's illness," observes Delclos.
Comfort maybe, but no cure

After taking a health history and gathering information, he asks his patients what specific symptoms are bothering them. "With most viral respiratory infections, the treatment is usually directed at making people feel better because there is no specific treatment or cure," Delclos says.
Don't knock chicken soup

Drugstore shelves groan with the weight of over-the-counter products. Low-tech is safest. If you're congested, use a decongestant vaporizing ointment, a properly cleaned and maintained humidifier, or get in a hot steaming shower. And research backs up the decongestant properties of Mom's chicken soup-it really is nothing to sneeze at.

A bothersome cough may benefit from a cough suppressant, and many of today's products include an expectorant, which induces clearance of phlegm. If you do not understand what all the labels mean, ask the pharmacist.

Remember, you'll only be treating your symptoms, not your viral illness.
Unless your name is Doc, refrain from 'Heal Thyself'

Many over-the-counter cold preparations though increase blood pressure in hypertension patients or interact with other prescription drugs, such as certain antibiotics or anti-depressants. It is best to consult your physician before self-medicating, even if it does promise "fast relief in just minutes!"
No aspirin for the kids

Remember, never give aspirin to a child to lower fever or at any other time unless you give it under a doctor's orders. In kids under 18, aspirin or other salicylates (not to be confused with acetaminophen or ibuprofen) has been linked to Reye's Syndrome , http://www.reyessyndrome.org/ a deadly condition that usually strikes at the end of a viral illness.
Strep throat is different

Another prevalent winter condition that is often confused with the initial symptoms of a "bad cold" or the flu is strep throat (from the bacterial Group A streptococcus family). It's usually heralded by a fever and sore throat simultaneously. See your doctor if this occurs because this bacterial infection can develop into rheumatic fever-a complication that can affect the heart-if not treated with an antibiotic.

But at least, in most cases, it can be treated because it is not a virus.

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UPDATED: 2-02-2004

About Dr. Ericsson:

Dr. Charles D. Ericsson is professor and clinical director of infectious diseases at the UT Medical School.

See Dr. Ericsson also at:

Health Tip:

Fireworks
Don’t lose your independence
on Independence Day!

They’re beautiful, hypnotic, inspiring and dangerous. Each year, thousands of injuries occur from fireworks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cite

In 2006, 11 dead and an estimated 9,200 treated in emergency departments for fireworks-related injuries in the United States.
An estimated 5 percent of fireworks-related injuries treated in emergency departments required hospitalization.

Most injuries involved:

Hands (2,300 injuries), eyes (1,500 injuries), and the head, face, and ear (1,400 injuries).
Burns were the most common injury type to all body parts except the eyes and head areas, where contusions, lacerations and foreign bodies in the eye occurred more frequently.

Most common fireworks involved:

Firecrackers, associated with the greatest number of estimated injuries at 1,300. There were 1,000 injuries associated with sparklers and 800 associated with bottle rockets.
Sparklers, accounting for one-third of the injuries to children younger than 5.

Between 2000-05, more than one-third of the fireworks-related deaths involved professional devices that were illegally sold to consumers.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, if you are going to light firecrackers:

Use a specially designed stick, or "punk," rather than a match to light fireworks.
Have a bucket of water ready.
Always follow manufacturers' directions and dispose of used fireworks properly.
Never give a firecracker or sparkler to a child.
Never use a bottle rocket.
Do not light firecrackers bigger than your pinkie, do not light them indoors, and avoid relighting duds.
Never put fireworks in your pocket, throw them while lit, or make homemade firecrackers.
In case of eye injury, do not touch the eye. Tape a clean paper cup over the eye to prevent contamination or further injury. Immediately seek medical attention from an ophthalmologist (eye MD).

What is banned nationwide: Any firecracker with more than 50 milligrams of explosive powder and any aerial firework with more than 130 milligrams of flash powder is banned under federal law, as are mail order kits and components designed to build these fireworks.