Take care of your health when you have a cold

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Huy Nhat - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. Doctor Nguyen Huy Nhat has many years of experience in the field of respiratory disease treatment.

Influenza causes many unpleasant symptoms such as high fever, chills, headache, dizziness, sneezing, runny nose,... Proper care of people with flu helps them recover quickly and limit the risk of infection. disease for others.

Influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by a virus. Symptoms of flu are a sudden high fever (39-400 C) for a few hours, then gradually decrease, then increase again, the patient feels chills, shivering, sweating, headache, dizziness. face, tinnitus, sneezing, runny nose, dry cough, sore throat, hoarseness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, body fatigue, aches, weakness.
Influenza is usually benign, after 3-5 days the symptoms will gradually decrease and go away on their own. However, there are still some cases of severe flu complications, when having symptoms, it is necessary to see a doctor to distinguish the common cold from dangerous flu types, such as bird flu,...

If you are the caregiver of someone with the flu in your family, here are some tips to help you take good care of your sick person, protect your health, and prevent the risk of getting sick.
2.1 How to take care of people with flu The common cold has no specific treatment, in order to recover quickly, the patient should be rested in a quiet, cool place, should not let the patient stay in an air-conditioned room. because it will aggravate the symptoms of hoarseness, hoarseness, the disease is difficult to relieve.
Limit contact of sick people with people around, especially those with weak resistance such as the elderly and children to limit the risk of disease transmission.
When having a fever, give the patient a dose of Paracetamol fever reducer according to the doctor's instructions, high-dose Vitamin C supplements to increase resistance, oresol to replenish water and electrolytes. Enhance nutrition for the diet, give the patient easy-to-digest soft foods, cold dishes such as onion porridge, perilla porridge, lemongrass-ginger-honey juice, ginger tea, fresh fruit juice to heal quickly.
For steaming with fragrant leaves such as wormwood, chrysanthemum leaves, grapefruit leaves, lemon leaves, lemongrass, .. is also a very good way to relieve cold. Should gargle, nasal drops with physiological saline daily to reduce symptoms of flu on the respiratory tract.
When forced to leave the house, remind the sick person to wear a medical mask, cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and use tissue to prevent respiratory secretions from spreading the disease to others.
If after 7 days, the patient does not have a fever, is tired, has shortness of breath, has difficulty breathing, the patient should be taken to a medical facility for monitoring, treatment and prevention of serious complications.
2.2 How to prevent the risk of flu for carers care and contact with patients. Washing hands with soap helps remove disease-causing viruses, preventing flu viruses from entering the body. Wear a mask when in contact, gargle, and drop your nose regularly with physiological saline.

Let the patient use separate bowls, chopsticks, spoons, cups, ... After washing with dishwashing liquid, it should be rinsed with boiling water. Do not hug the dirty clothes of the person with the flu, do not eat the leftovers of the sick person, and limit sleeping in the same bed. To take good care of the patient's health, it is important for the caregiver to ensure their own health. You should eat enough, drink plenty of water, pay attention to rest to ensure health. Although the flu is not dangerous, it causes many unpleasant symptoms, affecting the life, work, and study of the sick. Getting a flu shot every year is an effective way to prevent flu. Safe flu vaccine can be given to all subjects including children (over 6 months old), pregnant women, people with chronic diseases,...