How Many Days Does A Flu Fever Last?

Have you asked yourself how long does a fever last with the flu? Well, if you are trying to have a baby and you want to have a healthy pregnancy, you can never say you know too much.

It`s been said that if well cared, flue lasts for 7 days, and with no treatment, it heals in a week.” Closer to the truth are those that claim “a flu carried on your feet lasts longer.” Indeed, complete physical rest and diet are the most efficient methods to fight this disease, a natural remedy that needs to be adopted even from the start.

What Is Flu?

Flu, also known as influenza, is a very contagious acute infectious disease of one of the respiratory ways caused by virus A or B, which appears in epidemic outbreaks of varied severity almost each winter. The period when it comes with an increased frequency is November through March.

This medical condition can affect any person, but the risk of developing more severe clinical forms and complications is greater in children, elder people, as well as persons with chronic and immunodeficiency medical conditions. They are recommended to vaccinate themselves. Because the virus is found under a large range of strains and subtypes, which may vary from one year to another, even vaccinated people might develop this disease, but its severity will be lither.

Causes

The classic flu syndrome is caused by the flu virus. Experts classify the virus in 2 distinct types: type A and type B flu viruses, each of them including several subtypes or strains. These strains, although they are different than the original virus, still retain some of its characteristics.

Type A virus is responsible for annual cases that normally occur in late autumn or early winter.

The flu virus often suffers changes, so the development of the flu caused by a particular strain doesn`t offer immunity for the other strains.

New large-scale triggers generally follow changes, known as antigenic derivatives, in the virus. These outbreaks occur every 10 years. The disease worsens in people who make flu when antigenic derivatives occur in the virus.

Minor changes to the virus occur every year.

Ways of Transmission

The transmission is by respiration from person to person through saliva drops removed by speech, sneezing or coughing. The illness is contagious 1 or 2 days before and 4 – 5 days after the disease starts. Patients with normal forms of the condition are contagious as well. The virus container might also be some animals, for the type A virus. The incidence peak is found between the months of November and March.

How May Days Does a Flu Fever Last?

Most symptoms can start around 1 to 4 days (averagely, 2 days) when a person is exposed to flu. Fever and a few other symptoms may generally last up to 7 – 10 days, but the actual cough and states of weakness might last for 1 or 2 weeks, sometimes even more.

The symptoms of flu occur suddenly and often include:

• Fever with values that range between 37.8° C and 40° C, but which can reach even 41.1° C at the onset of symptoms. Fever is usually continuous, but it can be intermittent as well. Its values can be lower in older adults than children and young adults.
• Chills.
• Muscle pain, often severe, especially in the back, arms or legs.
• Headache.
• Pain in the eyeball movement.
• Fatigue, general sickness and decreased appetite.
• Dry, unproductive cough, abnormal nasal discharge and sore throat or dry throat sensation.

These signs might go unnoticed in the early days of the disease when the other symptoms are more severe. As the fever decreases, these signs might become more obvious.

When fever is high, the other signs are generally more severe.

Specialized Consultation

The doctor should be contacted immediately if:

• The infant of less than 3 months has a rectal temperature of 38° C or greater.
• The mother suspects that the infant of less than 3 months has fever, but she cannot measure his temperature.
• The child younger than 4 years has an extremely high fever (40.5° C) or even higher measured rectally.
• The parent or his 4-year old child, or bigger, have an oral temperature of over 40° C.
• The parent or his child breathe heavily, superficial, rapidly or present dyspnea (air thirst).
• The parent or his child have severe headache or stiffness in the neck, or seems confused or difficult to wake.

It`s recommended to contact a doctor when:

• The symptoms reappear have they disappeared in the first place.
• Signs of Reye syndrome, such as sleepiness or state of confusion, occur at an interval between 3 and 7 days from the onset of the flu`s signs or other respiratory viral illness. Reye syndrome can be a very serious disease when children and teenagers are concerned.
• There are signs of bacterial infection, such as otitis, bronchitis or pneumonia.
• The flue develops in a person over 65 who was other health issues or in patients who are in chemotherapy for cancer.
• The flu occurs in any person of any age who suffers of a long term respiratory disease, such as obstructive chronic bronchopneumopathy. – More info!
• Among the signs, there`s fever of over 38.3° C, chills and productive cough.
• Long term or high fever. Standards for fever values should be consulted for children of 3 or 4 years old and over. Still, it often happens in adults with flue to make high fever (up to 39.4° C) for 3 or 4 days. If a lot of persons in a community show similar symptoms and is the season of flu, perhaps the actual person may have flu and needs to consult a doctor. Still, if there are doubts, the doctor should be consulted anyway.

Investigations

Doctors can diagnose flu based on the symptoms in case that there are a lot of similar cases in the community or if the local health department has confirmed the outbreak of a flu epidemic. Routine tests for patients with typical symptoms of flu aren`t necessary.

Confirmatory or virus type tests can be important if:

• The results may affect the therapeutic decision. However, in case of a confirmed flu epidemic, tests aren`t necessary if an antiviral medication is taken into consideration.
• Additionally to flu-related symptoms, the patient shows other unusual symptoms that suggest another disease.
• Health authorities haven`t identified other cases of flu in the same region.
• Among tests there are blood tests (though are rarely used) and culture for identifying the virus. Because some cultures require a period between 24 and 48 hours for the occurrence of the results, they don`t help the doctor in his decision of prescribing an antiviral medication. Presently, there is a test for flu that offers results in 30 minutes. Although this test isn`t 100% accurate, it may be useful in taking a decision of using an antiviral medication.

How Do You Get Over the Flu?

• Stay home and rest – The first day you notice the flu symptoms, call work or school and get in bed to rest.
• Drink as much fluids as possible – Making sure you drink enough fluids should be one of your priorities.
• Treat your fever and aches – Your fever is actually your body turning up the heat in its attempt of fighting the virus.
• Treat your cough – Over-the-counter treatments can help you calm down. You could try an expectorant to turn your mucus into liquid and cough it up.
• Stay in a steamy bathroom and breath steam – Let your shower run until the bathroom fills with steam.
• Run your humidifier – Get a humidifier or vaporizer to moister the air in your house if it`s dry.
• Try a lozenge – Suck a soothing lozenge to coat your scratchy throat.
• Get nose sprays or drops – They are available over-the-counter at any grocery or drug store.
• Try and get an antiviral – These medications are taken when your signs begin.

When Should You Go to the Doctor if You Have the Flu?

• When you have a scratchy throat, a lot of sneezing and an annoying cough.
• You experience chest pain and you have trouble breathing.
• Your flu or cold should not cause your chest hurt or make you short of breath.
• Your body requires fluids to function properly.
• It becomes difficult to swallow.
• You find it difficult to get rid of the cough.

How Long Does It Take To Recover From The Flu?

No matter how harsh flu is, there are good news! Most people start to feel better in around 1 or 2 weeks. Many adults become contagious the next day after the signs appear, which actually makes it rather trickier for preventing them from spreading. People remain infected for up to 5 to 7 days after signs occur.