Well, it has begun: you feel unwell, the temperature has risen, your throat is sore and it flows from your nose. "I think I got sick. Go to work, or maybe it's better to call and stay home? How many days have the flu, what can I say to my superiors and how to quickly get rid of this infection, because the child is small, I don’t want him to get sick either," - you think.
Everyone can catch a cold easily, but recovery will depend on many factors. And first of all - from yourself. Let's see what the flu is and how long it will last.
What is flu
Often we call this word any catarrhal disease. But in fact, influenza is an acute disease of the respiratory organs caused by the virus of the same name, which is transmitted from person to person or from animal to person through an airborne droplet. Influenza virus has more than 2000 forms, and every year more and more new strains appear. Therefore, in order to answer the question of how many days the flu has been ill, you first need to find out exactly what type of virus has become the causative agent, and indeed whether it is flu. There are more than 200 types of diseases whose symptoms are very similar to the flu.
How does this happen
There is no person in the world who has immunity to the flu. Everyone is sick, regardless of age, gender and place of residence. To become infected with it, you also do not need to have special talents - you just have to get to the place where the carrier of the virus was in front of you (or next to you).
A sick person coughs, sneezes, or just talks, and with it up to 90 million invisible micro-droplets are released into the air, and they spread to a distance of up to 10 meters. Then a healthy person inhales the infected air, and with it the tiny flu virus. He settles on the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs and begins to multiply actively. It destroys cells, they die, and decay products poison the body, which means they reduce its level of protection - immunity. Namely, he is the main guardian and defender of health and also plays a decisive role in how many days these or those people get the flu.
12 hours after the virus enters the body, the disease goes into the acute stage, from this moment the person becomes a carrier of the virus, that is, infectious to others. It is especially important from the very first hours to take up treatment. The sooner the disease is detected, the easier it will be to fight it.
How to identify a virus
In order to understand what exactly you are sick with, how the disease will progress, how to be treated and how many days the flu is contagious, you need to find out what type of virus you got. They are divided into 3 types:
- And - the hardest. It affects not only people, but also animals. This includes the "swine" and "bird" flu. The slightest outbreak easily turns into an epidemic or pandemic. Body temperature rises instantly to 40 and above degrees, it is hard to bring down. Hallucinations, vomiting, convulsions may occur. Causes dire consequences. It is extremely necessary to see a doctor, because deaths occur.
- In - of moderate severity, only people get sick. The temperature rises from 38-39.5 degrees. The patient is shivering, there is pain in the eyes, muscles and bones of the body. The nasopharynx and throat swell, the voice changes, cough, runny nose appears. Danger for young children - vomiting and diarrhea may appear. It can easily develop into an epidemic. It causes complications.
- C is the easiest form and is the least studied. Many people carry such flu on their feet, the temperature rises to 38 degrees or practically does not change, the symptoms manifest themselves poorly. Does not cause severe consequences or outbreaks of epidemics.
We distinguish flu from SARS
The disease has similar symptoms with many viral diseases, therefore it is important to know how the flu differs from them. How much ARVI or any other virus lasts should be found out, based on each specific case.
How to distinguish flu:
- A quick sensation of illness. Often a person can even name where, when and who infected him.
- The first sign is a sharp rise in temperature and chills. ARVI usually begins with a stuffy nose and sore throat, sneezing, or coughing.
- Poisoning of the body by toxins is manifested: pain throughout the body, aches, photophobia, eye proteins blush.
- A debilitating cough appears only after a few days.
How much is destined to hurt?
How many days have the flu? Complete cure for the disease in most occurs in a week or two. But some people can feel healthy for 4-5 days already. This condition is misleading. The disease actually continues, and the body is exhausted. And even if you are in that stage of the flu when antibodies have already begun to be produced in your body, you are very likely to get sick again, but already infected with another strain. At times when your immunity is weakened, there is a high probability of acquiring a completely different concomitant disease. Therefore, it is better to postpone all affairs, trips and going to work for at least 10 days.
When will I stop being contagious?
The most dangerous period is the first day. Therefore, if you suddenly feel bad at work - ask for help and go to the doctor. You will not only catch the flu at the very beginning, but also protect your colleagues from an unpleasant fate.
How many days is flu contagious? Until that moment, until the immune system begins to actively produce antibodies. This happens on the fifth day from the moment of illness. But we must remember that all cases are purely individual. If you suffer from diseases related to the immune system, have recently undergone surgery, or have a chronic illness, your recovery may be delayed. The flu is more difficult for people of advanced age and small children.
To accelerate the onset of the moment when the flu ceases to be contagious, you need to help yourself and your body. The patient secretes a huge amount of virus into the air, so you should often air the room and carry out wet cleaning. Taking vitamins, antiviral drugs and fresh fruits will certainly help in the fight against the disease. Try to drink more fluid, it will flush out toxins from the body, which means that recovery will come faster. Be attentive to yourself and your loved ones, and then you can avoid most health troubles.