It’s that time of year again: Cold and Flu Season. Just in time for the holidays, here are some quick reminders concerning the dreaded common cold:
- A cold is caused by one of many different viruses that circulate year-round but definitely more in cold weather months.
- Common symptoms include cough, sneeze, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, fever (low-grade), fatigue, and sleep disturbance that can last up to 7-10 days at times.
- Contrary to popular belief, yellow/green mucus alone DOES NOT always mean antibiotics are needed.
- The BEST treatment is prevention by good hand-washing and cleaning of surfaces thought to be contaminated as well as preventing spread from coughing and sneezing by covering your mouth and nose.
- Overuse of antibiotics has caused a real problem in creating antibiotic-resistant organisms. Antibiotics cannot help viral infections like the cold but are needed in situations where there are other infections present; we will do our best to pinpoint those situations.
- If cold symptoms quickly worsen, high and persistent fever develops or the cold persists longer than 7-10 days please notify your physician so we can assist in making sure everything is ok.
If you need to schedule an appointment with our office and have concerns that your child may have a cold, give us a call at 601-420-8233.