The difference between bird flu and cold, accurate judgment

During the outbreak of avian influenza, if you have symptoms such as fever and cough, don't be overly nervous. First find out whether it is a common cold or avian influenza, because colds can also cause symptoms such as fever and cough, but colds have a transition period, while avian influenza develops more suddenly. We must also do preventive work in our daily lives.

The biggest difference between avian influenza and the common cold is that the onset is rapid and the symptoms worsen quickly, with symptoms such as dizziness, high fever, severe cough, and chest tightness.

There is now valid evidence of human-to-human transmission. "Chen Ping said. In life, when people have high fever, especially above 39℃, and accompanied by severe respiratory symptoms, such as severe coughing and difficulty breathing, they should go to the hospital for examination in time to rule out the disease. At present, Liaoning can diagnose H7N9 avian influenza virus within 4 hours. Warm reminder: Because the early symptoms of H7N9 are similar to those of common influenza, patients are often treated according to common influenza. The danger is that this is not only ineffective, but the condition will also rapidly worsen. After 5 to 9 days, the patient will have a high fever and lung inflammation, and then may suddenly develop respiratory failure. If the patient is not treated within the effective time, it is easy to lead to death. Therefore, once influenza symptoms appear, seek medical attention in time and tell the doctor whether there is a history of contact with poultry.

Fever, cough, little sputum, may be accompanied by headache, muscle aches and general discomfort. The condition of critically ill patients progresses rapidly, manifesting as severe pneumonia: inflammation of the airways, alveoli and lung interstitium, which can be caused by pathogenic microorganisms, physical and chemical factors, immune damage, allergies and drugs. ), the body temperature mostly remains above 39, and breathing difficulties occur, which may be accompanied by coughing up blood and sputum; it may rapidly progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome, mediastinal emphysema, sepsis, shock, impaired consciousness and acute kidney injury. Some patients may have gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and loose watery stools. The condition of critically ill patients progresses rapidly, and they may develop pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary hemorrhage, pancytopenia, renal failure, sepsis, pleural effusion, shock, Reye syndrome and other complications.

Many avian influenza patients quickly develop severe pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome, which leads to breathing difficulties and even respiratory failure, which is life-threatening. The common cold progresses more slowly, often starting with sneezing and sore throat, followed by runny nose, nasal congestion, cough and other symptoms. The fever is relatively low and it usually heals in about a week and is self-limited. If the symptoms are severe, they will recover in a short time after symptomatic medication. In addition, when the body shows symptoms of a severe cold, it is also necessary to consider whether there has been recent contact with poultry. Patients with avian influenza often have a history of contact with poultry, while most people who have not had recent contact with poultry will not consider avian influenza. "Bird flu is not the same as the common cold. The cold is transmitted from person to person, while bird flu is transmitted from birds to humans. So far, no effective evidence of human-to-human transmission has been found," said Chen Ping.

How to prevent: Cultivate personal respiratory hygiene and prevention habits, wash hands frequently, keep the environment clean, and properly process and cook food. Special efforts should be made to strengthen health education and hygiene protection for people at high risk of human infection with avian influenza and medical staff.