Catching on a viral fever is very common in India. Season changes bring viral infections to almost every household. What we need to know is the fact that viral fever is not a disease in itself rather it is the result of multiple viral infections in the body. Viral fevers are usually characterized by headaches, burning sensation in the eyes, high body temperature and sometimes accompanied by nausea. Viral fevers are more likely to occur in small children and elderly people who have lower immunity strength in body. Lower immunity makes them more vulnerable to viral infections.
What is the Cause of Viral Fever?
When the body is affected by viral infections, the immune system of the body tends to fight against that infection-causing viruses which in turn causes a high fever. The high fever is actually the process of burning off of the infection causing viruses. Any part of the body can get infected by the viruses. This could be your intestines, air passages or lungs. Remember, viral infections are not similar to bacterial infections. People in India often tend to take self-medication for such fever. However, it is difficult for a common man to understand the actual cause of the fever- it could be either viral or bacterial fever. Many people, now, follow online doctor free of cost to deal with such fevers on their own. However, there are some people who take antibiotic drugs to treat high fever accompanied with chills. This could cause negative side effects to the body. Antibiotics are incapable of treating viral fevers. If taken, they could kill the helpful bacteria of the body and can cause kidney and liver damage. It is always recommended to consult your physician before taking any antibiotic drugs.
Is Viral Infection Contagious?
The answer would be, yes. Viral infections are highly contagious. It gets transmitted from an infected person to others. The transmission of infections happens through the direct contact of the body fluids of an infected person through sneeze, cough, and yawn or even by talking to the infected individual. While some viruses affect the new body within 2 days, some may take about 21 days to infect the new body.
Factors That Make You More Vulnerable to Viral Fever
Though children and elderly people are naturally more vulnerable to getting infected by viral infections easily, healthy adults can also get infected easily if any of the following factors occur:
- In case you take care of the infected individual.
- You need to work with infected people.
- If a certain kind of viral fever is prevalent in your surroundings.
- If you are traveling to a place affected by viral fever.
- If you have unprotected sex with the infected person.
- If you have shared needles to take intravenous medication.
Major Symptoms of Viral Infection in Body
More than one body part can be affected by the viral infection which could cause the following symptoms in the body:
- Viral infections are usually followed by high body temperature which may come and go.
- Fatigue, dizziness, and weakness are some of the early symptoms of viral infection in the body.
- Body aches – both muscle and joint pain can occur with a severe headache and chills.
- Burning sensation in the pharynx, soreness of throat, painful tonsils can be followed by a severe cough.
- Burning eyes and running nose are commonly found in viral infections.
- Chest and nasal congestion are also common during viral fever.
- These symptoms can get worse when accompanied by diarrhea, skin rashes and even nausea.
Can You Diagnose a Viral Infection?
Many other diseases can show similar symptoms in your body, so, it is wise not to diagnose a viral infection on your own by considering the above-mentioned symptoms. People, sometimes, seek help from online doctor free for treating viral infections. Consult your doctor immediately if you feel the listed symptoms. If needed, take a blood test in order to avoid the possibility of any other diseases which may cause similar symptoms, such as, typhoid, malaria, dengue or chikungunya.
Besides, as mentioned earlier both bacterial and viral infections can induce similar symptoms in your body. Determining the actual cause of fever could be tricky for common people. Doctors rule out the possibility of bacterial fever by considering the symptoms and your medical history. If they still have confusion, they may ask to carry out a blood sample test to find out the root of the fever. This is how physicians determine the cause of fever and then the mode of treatment.
Treatment of Viral Infection
Like the treatment of fever caused by bacterial infections, there is no antibiotic drug for treating viral fever. Doctors mostly prescribe medicines that relieve the high body temperature and body ache of the infected person. However, doctors may also prescribe antibiotic medicines as well. But these antibiotic medications are essentially for saving your viral infected body from other infections which can affect you while sick. Remember, antibiotic medicines are not meant for treating viral fever. It is, thus, necessary that you complete the entire course of antibiotic medicines as prescribed by the physician.
You may feel completely fit while you are still to complete the entire course of antibiotics. But as per the prescription, you should finish the course of medication. Leaving antibiotic doses midway could cause antibiotic-resistant bacteria to grow in your body which in future could prevent the effects of antibiotic drugs in your body.
Medications for Viral Infection Treatment
Antiviral drugs are mostly used for treating viral infections. When it is just about a common viral infection doctors, prefer some of the commonly found over the counter drugs to treat them. Some of the most common medicines used for treating viral fever are ‘Acetaminophen (Tylenol)’ and ‘Ibuprofen (Motrin IB and Advil).’
Treat Viral Infection at Home
Most of the times, viral fevers which are the results of viral infections in your body do not require any specific medication like bacterial infections. Antibiotics are must to take the drug for bacterial infections. But for viral fevers, there is not particular medicine. Even your doctor focuses on treating each of your symptoms of viral infection separately. They just try to relieve the symptoms individually, and the rest is done by the immune system of your body.
However, if it is just about a viral fever treatment, you can treat yourself at home with the help of online doctor free. Check out the following steps to treat viral fever at home:
- Usually, viral infections cause high fever in the infected person. Get over the counter medicines like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen to reduce the high body temperature, body ache, and muscle cramps.
- Try taking rest at home. Fatigue and body ache automatically call for complete bed rest. Working forcefully can cause more discomfort during a viral fever.
- It is often advised that one should take an abundant quantity of fluids while suffering from viral fever. This keeps you body hydrated. The medicines which are used for reducing the fever may cause excessive sweating. This could dehydrate your body. So, plenty of fluids is an absolute necessity.
- In case your fever comes back with higher intensity, you can try sitting in a tub full of warm water to bring down your body temperature. Besides, many people in India also put wet cloth on the forehead to cut down the rising fever.
When to Consult a Doctor?
In most of the cases, viral fever can be treated and cured at home only. It does not pose any danger to the infected person. The body itself fights against the infection causing viruses. You just need to relieve the symptoms till your immune system gets triumph over the viral infection. However, sometimes things can go beyond control though. Consult your physician immediately if you have any of the following symptoms while suffering from viral fever:
- Call your doctor if you have extremely high fever which is as high as 103 degrees. Do not take the risk of treating such a high fever at home. Keep it safe and consult your doctor at the earliest.
- If your baby has got the viral fever do not think of treating it at home. Check for baby’s rectal temperature immediately. If it exceeds 100 degrees, call your doctor immediately. It is wise not to treat a small baby at home.
- Inform your doctor immediately if you have severe headache.
- Do not hesitate to go to your doctor if you feel difficulty in breathing due to chest and nasal congestion. Also see your doctor in case of chest pain while suffering from viral infection.
- You may need doctor’s advice if you experience severe abdominal pain, nausea and continuous vomiting during viral fever. Before these symptoms could get worse, seek for your doctor’s opinion.
- Apart from the common symptoms of viral fever, if you notice unusual skin rashes, especially those which spread very quickly, rush to your doctor.
- Any other symptoms that do not occur commonly during viral infection need a doctor’s attention. If you experience confusion or seizures or feel stiffness of neck, see your doctor immediately. Unusual symptoms may cause other health conditions.
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