Body Aches Sore Throat Cough

Do I Have A Cold Or Covid

Just like the seasonal flu and COVID-19, common colds affect your nose and throat and enter the body through droplets in the air or through direct contact with a person who is sick. Many types of viruses can cause a common cold, but rhinoviruses are the most common culprit.

Symptoms of the common cold can vary widely from person to person, but the most common symptoms include:

• Runny or stuffy nose

• Nausea or vomiting

The Flu vs. COVID-19

Cases of the seasonal flu typically spike between November and February in the U.S. According to the CDC, you can contract the seasonal flu and COVID-19 at the same time. The influenza virus and the SARS CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 are contagious conditions that can result in serious illness, including hospitalization.

Is It A Cold The Flu Or Covid

Your child has a sore throat, cough, and a high fever. Is it COVID-19? Could it be the flu? Or just a cold?

All these illnesses are caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. All are contagious and can spread easily from person to person. And they cause some similar symptoms. So it can be hard to tell them apart.

Here are some things to look for if your child gets sick.

What Causes Pneumonia

Viruses, like the flu or RSV , cause most cases of pneumonia. Kids with pneumonia caused by a virus usually have symptoms that happen over time and tend to be mild.

Less often, bacteria can cause pneumonia. When that happens, kids usually will become sick more quickly, starting with a sudden high fever, cough, and sometimes fast breathing. Types of bacterial pneumonia include pneumococcal pneumonia, mycoplasma pneumonia , and pertussis .

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When To See A Doctor

According to the Mayo Clinic,9 call your physician if you are experiencing:

• Sore throat with tender, swollen lymph nodes
• Sore throat that lasts over 48 hours
• Sore throat with a rash
• Trouble breathing or swallowing
• Fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit, or a fever lasting for more than 48 hours

It’s important to identify strep throat for a number of reasons. If untreated, strep throat can cause complications such as kidney inflammation and rheumatic fever.

Strep is different from the regular sore throat that usually precedes a flu or a cold because it is bacterial in nature, while the latter is viral. Strep throat is typically more severe and lasts longer as well.

While a regular sore throat might last for one to two days before going away on its own, strep throat usually requires treatment.

How Is Strep Throat Treated

Doctors usually prescribe about 10 days of antibiotic medicine to treat strep throat. Within about 24 hours after starting on antibiotics, your child probably won’t have a fever and won’t be contagious. By the second or third day, other symptoms should start to go away.

Even when kids feel better, they should take the antibiotics as prescribed. This is the best way to kill the harmful bacteria. Otherwise, bacteria can stay in the throat and symptoms can come back. Completing all the antibiotics also prevents other health problems that a strep infection can cause, such as rheumatic fever , scarlet fever, blood infections, or kidney disease.

To prevent spreading strep throat to others in your home:

• Keep your child’s eating utensils, dishes, and drinking glasses separate and wash them in hot, soapy water after each use.
• Make sure your child doesn’t share food, drinks, napkins, handkerchiefs, or towels with other family members.
• Teach your child to cover all sneezes or coughs. If a tissue isn’t handy, kids should sneeze or cough into their elbow, not their hands.
• Remind everyone to wash their hands well and often.
• Give your child a new toothbrush after the antibiotic treatment starts and they’re no longer contagious.

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Ways To Treat Your Cold And Flu Symptoms

• Stay home and rest, especially while you have a fever.

• Stop smoking, and avoid secondhand smoke.

• Drink plenty of fluids like water, fruit juices, and clear soups.

• Do not drink alcohol.

• Gargle with warm salt water a few times a day if you have a sore throat. Throat sprays or lozenges may also help with the pain.

• Use a nose spray to help loosen mucus and moisten the skin in your nose.

People At Higher Risk From Flu

Anyone can get sick with flu, even healthy people, and serious problems related to flu can happen to anyone at any age, but some people are at higher risk of developing serious flu-related complications if they get sick. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions , pregnant people and children younger than 5 years, but especially those younger than 2 years old.

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Earaches: Can Come From Colds Or Flu

Congestion from either ailment can make your ear pressure rise. This affects the eustachian tube, which connects your throat to your middle ear. It can cause a dull ear pain, hearing loss, and the sensation of âpoppingâ in your ears. It usually goes away with your other symptoms.

See your doctor if the earache lasts longer than your sickness or you feel sudden, strong pain. You may have an ear infection that needs treatment.

Flu: Start Antiviral Drugs Asap

These medications can make you feel better and shorten your illness by 1 to 2 days — especially if you start them within 2 days of getting sick. Over-the-counter products can also lessen some symptoms like a cough and congestion. Read labels and instructions carefully so you understand what the meds do and how to take them.

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Illnesses That Can Cause Body Aches Without A Fever

See below for more information on treatment

Though many people who get the flu will also develop a fever, it is also possible to have the flu without one.

What Is A Headache With A Sore Throat

Most people get headaches many times during their lives. A headache causes pain in your head or face. The pain may be throbbing, sharp or dull.

A sore throat is pain or irritation in your throat. It might feel scratchy, painful or dry. It often hurts more when you swallow.

Sometimes, you have both a headache and sore throat. Most often, an infection causes those symptoms to happen together.

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What Are The Signs Of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome In Children

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children causes symptoms that are due to inflammation throughout the body. Doctors are trying to find out how these symptoms are related to coronavirus infection.

Symptoms that have been seen in kids include:

• swollen hands or feet
• swollen lymph nodes

If your child has any of these symptoms, call your doctor. Kids with this inflammatory syndrome may quickly get worse. Go to the ER right away if your child looks very sick, has trouble breathing, has chest pain, has very bad belly pain, looks bluish in the lips or face, or is very sleepy or confused.

Help Does My Child Have Covid

A cough.A stuffy nose.A tickle in their throat.

Most years, your child experiencing any of these minor symptoms of illness wouldnt be a huge cause for concern. You may have chalked them up to run-of-the-mill cold or flu, leading to an earlier bedtime, extra fluids, or medication.

Now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, hearing a cough in the other room may stop you in your tracks and rightfully so. Even though over 70% of Americans have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive the vaccine, COVID-19 is not over.

Those who are not fully vaccinated against the virus still run the risk of catching and spreading the virus. And while most people who get COVID-19 are unvaccinated, no vaccine is 100% effective. This means that even those who are fully vaccinated can still become sick with COVID-19.

As we head into flu season, the prime time of year for the common cold, and an ongoing pandemic, it can be helpful to know the difference among these illnesses.

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Start With Home Remedies For Colds And Flu

You should stay home if youre sick especially if you have a fever. Actually, its always recommended that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever has gone away without the use of fever-reducing medications. Here are some steps you can take at home to feel better:

• Get plenty of rest.
• Drink lots of fluids .
• Take acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help lower your temperature, and get some headache or muscle ache relief. Warning: Do not give aspirin to children or teenagers who have the flu, as it comes with a small risk of causing the potentially fatal Reye Syndrome.

The Cdc Includes Chills On Its List Of Symptoms

Crystal Cox/Business Insider

Around 11% of Chinese patients involved in the WHO report developed chills.

Both chills and shivering are the product of muscles contracting and relaxing inside the body. Like a fever, they help raise a persons body temperature to fight off infection.

An episode of shaking and chills accompanied by a fever is known as a rigor. It can also cause profuse sweating.

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Doctor: Joe Biden Suffering Body Aches Cough Sore Throat Hoarse Voice From Coronavirus Infection Using Inhaler

The White House continues releasing updates on President Joe Bidens health after his positive test for the coronavirus on Thursday.

The presidents physician Dr. Kevin OConnor released a note Sunday outlining Biden was improving although he still had a sore throat.

This is most likely a result of lymphoid activation as his body clears the virus, and is thus encouraging, the note read.

Biden also experienced symptoms of a runny nose, cough, and body aches and continues to have a hoarse voice, the doctor noted.

OConnor also revealed that Biden uses an albuterol inhaler to treat his cough.

White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha told reporters Friday that Biden does not always use an inhaler to treat his cough, but has used one in the past when he has gotten sick.

Where did Biden Catch COVID?

WH: That Doesn’t Matter

Breitbart News

He does not use it on a regular basis. Its not part of his regular medications, in the context of a viral syndrome, Jha said.

The president experienced a slight increase in temperature, the doctor noted, rising to 99.4, but White House officials adamantly insisted it was not a fever.

He did not have a fever last night, just to make that clear, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Friday. 99.4 is not a fever. Its not even a low-grade fever.

He will continue his Paxlovid treatment, his doctor noted, as he continues to fight the virus.

Conditions That Can Cause Body Aches And Sore Throat

1. Common Cold

With over 100 types of viruses that create the “common cold” it’s no wonder this illness is one of the major reasons that people head towards the doctor’s office at the first sign of a cough or sneeze. Out of all of the different types of virus, it is the rhinovirus that is the most common and most contagious.

When you feel as if you are coming down with a cold, you may find yourself with some of the following symptoms:

• Stuffed up or runny nose
• Sneezing
• Mild fatigue

2. Flu

What you may think is starting out as a cold could really be the flu, or influenza. This upper respiratory illness can escalate into conditions that are much more serious, such as pneumonia. Older adults, young kids, and people with compromised immune systems that include heart problems, asthma, or diabetes should be extra careful about contracting the flu. The symptoms appear similar to a cold but can include many of the following:

• Dry irritating cough
• Body aches and sore throat
• Muscle soreness
• Stuffed up and runny nose
• Headache
• Chronic fatigue that could last up to 2 weeks
• Diarrhea and/or vomiting in children

3. Pharyngitis

• Headache
• Muscle aches and joint pain
• Swollen glands
• Rash on the skin

4. Hypothyroidism

An underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism, occurs when the thyroid gland is not producing levels of specific hormones. Depending on how severe the case, the symptoms usually start off slowly and increase throughout the years. Signs of hypothyroidism can include:

5. Scarlet Fever

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How Do People Get Strep Throat

The bacteria that cause strep throat tend to hang out in the nose and throat. So normal activities like sneezing, coughing, or shaking hands can easily spread an infection from one person to another.

Kids with untreated strep throat are more likely to spread the infection when their symptoms are most severe, but can still infect others for up to 3 weeks.

That’s why it’s so important to teach kids to wash their hands. well and often. This can lower their chances of getting contagious diseases like strep throat.

When Should I Call The Doctor

If you have any doubts or questions, it’s best to call your doctor. An illness that seems like a cold can turn out to be the flu or COVID-19. And other illnesses, like strep throat or pneumonia, can cause similar symptoms but need different treatment. Sometimes it’s hard to know for sure which germ is causing the problem. Then, doctors might do some tests to find out.

Get medical care right away if your child:

• seems to be getting worse
• has trouble breathing

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The Two Most Common Causes

If you don’t have a fever but are experiencing body aches, it’s most likely that you either have a cold or a strain of the flu. Though children often experience a low-grade fever with a cold, most adults don’t get a fever with a cold. The flu also usually presents with a fever as well as body aches, though this is not true in every case.

What You Should Do

Don’t be a hero and try to tough out an illness. Call your doctor to report any concerning symptoms, especially those of COVID-19 or flu you may need a test and treatment.

“It’s a different era from when you didn’t want to bother your doctor,” Dr. Jha says. “Don’t deny yourself care. Your doctor would never want that. And the earlier you call, the sooner you can be treated if you need it.”

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Get Treatment And Care Without Leaving The House

Whether youre stuck at home with a fever or you arent quite ready to leave your house yet, you can still get quality cold and flu treatment online. You can:

Make a video visit appointment for face-to-face care from a doctor or nurse practitioner. With video visits, your doctor will listen to your symptoms, answer questions and work with you to create a tailored treatment plan if needed.

Start a virtual visit anytime, anyplace through Virtuwell. With Virtuwell, no appointment is necessary and treatment is available 24/7. Getting started is easy. Well ask you a few questions, and youll get your diagnosis and treatment plan from a board-certified nurse practitioner. Each visit is just $59 or less, depending on your insurance.

Theres no prescription medication that can knock out a cold. But if you have the flu, antiviral medications such as Tamiflu and Relenza can help. These fight the flu by keeping viruses from reproducing in your body, and work best when started within 48 hours after symptoms start.

During your video visit or Virtuwell visit, your doctor or clinician will determine whether an antiviral medication should be part of your treatment plan. If needed, theyll write you a prescription and send it to your pharmacy of choice.

Can I Prevent A Sore Throat And Headache

The best way to prevent sore throat and headache is to avoid infections and illness. Tips include:

• Wash hands often: Always wash hands after going to the bathroom or changing a diaper and before eating or preparing food.
• Dont share: Dont share food, water bottles, glasses or other eating utensils.
• Use good cough hygiene: When coughing or sneezing, use a tissue. If you dont have a tissue, use the crook of your elbow. Dont cough or sneeze into your hand.
• Stay home if youre sick: Isolate yourself as much as you can until you feel better. And be around other people who are not feeling well.
• Avoid allergy triggers: Take precautions to avoid your allergy triggers. Allergies can cause coughing and sneezing.
• Practice safe sex: Use a condom or dental dam to avoid sexually transmitted infections.
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol products: Try to stay away from cigarettes and limit alcohol. These products increase your risk of developing head and neck cancers.

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Whats The Outlook For People With Sore Throat And Headache

A sore throat and headache can usually go away within a week. Most of the time, you wont need medical treatment. There are usually no long-term complications.

If you do have strep throat, make sure to take the full course of antibiotics. These drugs treat the infection and prevent complications, including rheumatic fever.