ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

DON'T CONFUSE FLU FOR A COLD

AUBURN, FEB.18, 2000---Cold and flu symptoms are similar. Because symptoms are similar, many people often confuse colds for flu and vice versa.

A cold is an upper respiratory track inflammation and usually is spread by hand-to-hand contact with another cold sufferer or on shared objects such as cooking utensils, towels and telephone receivers. A cold starts with a runny nose and sneezing. Then a cough and sore throat may develop. Sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by a mild fever. However, in most cases cold symptoms subside in three to four days and you begin to feel better.

This is not true with flu. Flu is a lower-respiratory viral infection and is highly contagious. The first sign of flu is the sudden appearance of fever. Fever, chills, headache, muscle ache and fatigue usually hit all at once with no little or no warning. Fever can run as high as 101 degrees F and may last up to a week. The best thing to do is stay in bed, rest and let it take its course.

Most of the time flu can be prevented by taking an annual flu shot, says Dr. Kathleen Tajeu, a community health specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Vaccines for flu season are made according to the types of strains that were dominant the previous year. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reports that most flu sufferers this year are those who didn't take the shot.

Scientists have come up with two new prescription drugs that lessen the severity of flu and speed up a patients recovery. The drugs are Relenza, an inhaled drug and Tamiflu, a drug in pill form. Both drugs will reduce the symptoms and speed recovery if taken within 48 hours of the first symptoms. The drugs may also help prevent the virus from being spread to others. The drugs work on certain proteins in the cells to prevent influenza A and B from reproducing. Neither drug can prevent the flu. Only a flu shot can do that.

You may want to contact your doctor and ask about these antiviral medications, Tajeu says. Tamiflu has some side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, bronchitis, sleeplessness and dizziness. Relenza also has some side effects. It might trigger asthma attacks or wheezing. The Food and Drug Administration recommends that physicians use caution prescribing Relenza to patients with asthma or other lung diseases.

Flu season is underway and has been epidemic in some places in the southeastern United States. Some places may still have flu vaccines so it may not be too late to get a shot.

If you did not get a flu shot and there is no more vaccine in your area, here are some things you can do to help prevent the spread of flu and colds.

• Keep your immune system strong to resist infection. Get plenty of rest, eat a healthy diet and engage in regular exercise.
• Stay away from people who are sick.
• Wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your face, eyes and nose to avoid transmitting the virus to your body.
• Use a tissue instead of a handkerchief. Dispose of it immediately after use.
• Wash hands before handling food.
• Don't share utensils, dishes or cups.
• Greet people with a smile instead of a handshake.

Remember that all these remedies only treat the symptoms. The flu virus isn't killed by antibiotics. Your immune system will have to fight the virus.

Pneumonia, an inflammation of the bronchial tubes and air sacs in the lungs, can follow a severe cold or flu. The first sign is usually a cough that won't go away. Older adults and persons with diabetes, bronchitis, asthma, emphysema cancer and AIDS are more vulnerable to catching pneumonia, says Tajeu. A one-time pneumonia shot is recommended for people in these categories.

There are two types of pneumonia -- viral and bacterial. Viral pneumonia symptoms include a dry, hacking cough with headache, fever, muscle pain and fatigue. Symptoms of bacterial pneumonia include high fever and a cough that produces rusty-colored, greenish or yellowish sputum. Chills and chest pain when breathing also are symptoms.

Always consult your doctor if your symptoms were getting better and then got worse again.

SOURCE: DR. KATHLEEN TAJEU, Community Health Specialist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, (334) 844-2201