Colds and flu Archive

A persistent cough that remains after an infection has been treated can last for a month or two. There are several treatments that may offer relief, such as antihistamines or a bronchodilator inhaler. 

The odds of beating the bug are increasing as another new vaccine for seniors debuts.

 Image: Bigstock

The flu season is upon us. Like that other season—winter—it can be unpredictable. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is doing its best to see that we're informed and as prepared as possible for whatever is in store. For updates throughout the flu season, check the CDC website, www.cdc.gov/flu.

How well does the flu shot work?

Vaccines for seniors

The best time to get an annual flu shot is in mid-October. However, it’s not too late to get the shot in December, since people are still at risk of getting flu for several more months.

Soaps with added “antibacterial” chemicals are not better at protecting people against infection and illness. The added chemicals may be harmful.

Nasal irrigation using a neti pot was more effective than inhaling steam in relieving chronic sinus symptoms in a large randomized study.

New research found that heart failure patients who had a flu shot had a 30% lower risk of hospitalization for cardiovascular disease, 16% lower risk of hospitalization for respiratory infections, and a 4% lower risk of hospitalization in general. 

For years, many kids could skip the traditional flu “shot” — along with the tears — and still be protected by the nasal spray vaccine also known as the LAIV (live attenuated influenza vaccine). But not this year. Studies now show that the nasal vaccine is quite ineffective, and pediatricians are starting to change their flu recommendations from a nose squirt to a shot.

A Spanish clinical trial of 400 people—two-thirds of whom were women—has indicated that waiting to fill an antibiotic prescription may be a good idea for people with sniffles, coughs, sore throats, and other respiratory symptoms.

Researchers recruited volunteers who sought care for respiratory symptoms in primary care clinics throughout Spain. The volunteers were randomly assigned to four equal groups. One was given antibiotics and told to take them immediately. Another was sent home without antibiotics but told to return to the clinic if they hadn't improved after several days. The two remaining groups were told to wait to take antibiotics—one was asked to return to the clinic to get their mediation after three days; the other group was given an antibiotic, but told to take the medication only if their symptoms hadn't improved after five to 10 days.

Flu season still has a few months left, and it is not too late to get a flu shot if you have not done so already. 
Image: Thinkstock

They may help reduce symptoms of the flu, but they're not for everyone.

If you start taking an antiviral medication after catching the flu, will it keep your family members from catching the bug, too? Maybe not, according to a study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

The prescription antivirals oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) can cut a case of the flu short by suppressing the virus's overpowering urge to copy itself inside you. Less viral "shedding" by the body could, hypothetically, make it less likely that people who live in the same house will also get sick.