Upper Respiratory Infections

Upper respiratory infections, usually called "the common cold," may include sore throat, fever, headache, earache, sneezing, runny nose, congestion or cough. No specific treatment is available for the common cold since it is caused by a virus, but antibiotics can be prescribed for secondary bacterial infections.

What To Do

Get plenty of rest.
Drink plenty of water, juice, tea, sodas or Gatorade, or eat popsicles, soup, or gelatin.
Eat as much of a balanced diet as you can. A cold sometimes causes a loss of appetite.
For fever, sore throat, head and muscle aches, take acetaminophen (Tylenol, Datril, Tylenol 3, etc.) every 3-4 hours. If you are also having runny nose, cough or nasal congestion, your clinician will tell you what and how much to take. A daily multiple vitamin also will help.
For a sore throat, gargle every two hours with salt water (1/2 to 1/4 teaspoon in a large glass of water) or take throat lozenges.
Use a humidifier in your room (especially at night) to help you breathe easier. If you don't have a humidifier, take a hot shower and breathe in the steam.
Your clinician may give you medicine for a stuffy nose or cough. Use the medicines exactly as instructed. If antibiotics have been prescribed, take them until they are gone.
If a culture is done for your sore throat and the results are positive, someone at the Health Center will call you or send a letter. Please be sure to provide your correct phone number and address.
If you are not better in 4-5 days, or if you start running a high fever, please return to the Health Center for further evaluation and treatment.

IS IT A COLD OR IS IT THE FLU?
Common Symptoms	Cold	Flu
Fever	Rare	Characteristic, high (102°-104°F; lasts 3-4 days)
Headache	Rare	Prominent
General aches, pains	Slight	Usual; often severe
Fatigue, weakness	Quite mild	Can last up to 2-3 weeks
Extreme exhaustion	Never	Early and prominent
Stuffy nose	Common	Sometimes
Sneezing	Usual	Sometimes
Sore throat	Common	Sometimes
Chest discomfort, cough	Mild to moderate; hacking cough	Common; can become severe
Complications	Sinus congestion or earache	Bronchitis, pneumonia; can be life-threatening
Prevention	No vaccine or preventive medications; handwashing, plenty of rest and good nutrition will help prevent the common cold	Annual vaccination; antiviral medicines--see your doctor
Treatment	Only temporary relief of symptoms	Antiviral medicines--see your doctor
From the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Information on influenza (flu)