Every fall and winter, Americans go through the same coughing, sneezing, and sniffling routine. During any given year, we’ll collectively come down with one billion colds and up to 45 million cases of flu.
The viruses that cause colds can make us miserable for a few days, but rarely lead to any serious health issues. It’s a different story for the influenza virus. It can put you in the hospital even if you are healthy, but it’s especially dangerous for young children, adults over age 65, and people with underlying conditions like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But since we’ve been dealing with the flu for more than a century, we have vaccines and antiviral treatments to help combat it.
Over the past year, a more dangerous viral disease has emerged. In December 2019, cases of pneumonia caused by a new virus were first reported in Wuhan, China. That virus is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the illness it causes is called COVID (short for “coronavirus disease”) 19 (short for the year in which it started). COVID- 19 quickly spread around the world. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic.
About 80% of COVID cases are mild, or even symptom-free. It’s the 20% of more severe cases that are most worrisome. While COVID can be lethal for anyone, the risk of death is much higher for older people and those with underlying health conditions.
Research on the new coronavirus is still evolving, as is the search for treatments and a vaccine. But there are strategies to help you avoid infection in the meantime. In this guide, you will learn how to avoid getting any of these three viral infections, and, if you do get sick, what you can do to feel better. You’ll also learn when your condition is serious enough to call a doctor. The report also provides specific information about high-risk groups for whom COVID and the flu can be very serious.
Prepared by the editors of Harvard Health Publishing in consultation with Howard E. LeWine, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. 22 pages. (2020)
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Harvard Medical School Guides delivers compact, practical information on important health concerns. These publications are smaller in scope than our Special Health Reports, but they are written in the same clear, easy-to-understand language, and they provide the authoritative health advice you expect from Harvard Health Publishing.