The influenza virus lives in the external environment for how long. How does the flu proceed, what is it now and how long does the virus live?

The influenza virus annually contributes to the infection of hundreds of thousands of people, knocking them out of their usual rhythm of life for a long time, provoking the development of serious complications. Each year, more than 15% of the world's population suffers from its effects. This viral disease is distinguished by the severity of its course and special consequences, which is why it is recognized as the most dangerous among all existing ones.

The causative agent of influenza is a type of acute respiratory viral infections, of which there are more than two hundred. Influenza has a high epidemic significance, therefore it occupies a special place among other infections.

To date, experts identify more than two thousand varieties of influenza, all of them differ according to their own antigenic structure. Once having suffered one type of disease. the possibility of re-infection with a different strain is not excluded. Even re-infection with the same strain, after a few years, becomes possible, due to the fact that the immune memory is weakened.

Differences in the internal structure of a microorganism make it possible to distinguish three types of it:

1. Virus type A: it is highly aggressive, it is he who provokes the development of rather serious diseases. This virus is rapidly changing, it has the ability to infect not only humans, but also animals (pig and avian species are caused precisely by its effect). A person who has recovered from this infection gains immunity, which allows him to avoid re-infection for 1-3 years. It is he who provokes the development of pandemics, affecting both children and adults.
2. Type B virus: differs in minimal aggressiveness, it can provoke flu, which proceeds quite easily. This variety is not very volatile, it only affects humans. Immunity earned by a person can last for at least three years, therefore epidemics caused by its massive spread rarely occur. Outbreaks of a local type are recorded more often, affecting only children, adults get sick much less often.
3. Virus type C: this strain proceeds practically without symptoms, it is quite variable, most often children are exposed to infection. Cases of the disease are isolated in nature and are determined through virological studies.

In addition to types, influenza subtypes are also noted, they differ in their antigenic structure. Antigens are proteins that cover the surface of viruses; they are necessary for normal viral activity.

Constant mutations have led to the formation of different subtypes of influenza:

• 18 subtypes of hemagglutinin;
• 11 subtypes of neuraminidase.

What does the flu virus look like under a microscope? This is a set of cells that scientists still argue about when deciding whether to consider them alive or dead. The structure of the influenza virus is primitive, they do not have metabolism, respiratory functions, and do not need nutrients.

Influenza viruses are small in size and require the genetic material of the cells on which they are located to reproduce.

Influenza pathogens contain proteins (hemagglutinin) and enzymes (neuraminidase). The first are necessary for viruses to settle in the human body, the second for penetration into the cells of the respiratory organs, by deceiving the immune system.

How does the flu virus mutate? By mixing its various subtypes, which leads to the formation of new species.

How does the virus spread?

The causative agent of influenza is a virus that enters the air through saliva and secretions from the catarrhal organs of a sick person (spread can occur during sneezing or coughing). Infection can spread up to four meters from person to person.

To prevent this process, all sick people should be isolated, if this cannot be achieved, it is imperative to wear a protective mask. It will restrain the spread of saliva with viral particles, the main thing is to change it to a new one at least every two hours.

Healthy people may not wear masks in order to protect against infection. When viral particles have already spread through the air, the mask will not be able to filter them, so the process of wearing them loses its purpose.

In addition to what is described above, influenza can be spread by contact. Recently, this type of transmission of infection is the most frequent, due to the fact that a large number of people live in cities, who are forced to be close to each other.

Infection occurs as follows: the carrier of the virus coughs or sneezes, while covering the oral cavity with his own hand, which he then puts on the handrail of public transport, the handle of the store trolley, the elevator buttons. After the infection penetrates the skin of a healthy person from these objects, it is enough for him to simply touch the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose or just the face to get infected.

On the skin, viral particles can remain active for at least 15 hours, all this time, maintaining a threat to the body.

Therefore, it is very important to accustom yourself to the fact that outside the home you should not touch your own face, eat something without first washing your hands with soap. While at school or work, you should periodically clean your hands with wet wipes that have an antibacterial effect. And, returning home, you need to thoroughly wash your hands, and also clean the nasal cavity with saline solutions.

Does alcohol kill the flu virus? Recent research by scientists has confirmed the fact that ethyl alcohol can only act on surfaces that are being processed. But alcohol cannot fight an infection that has already penetrated a person.

At what temperature does the influenza virus die? How long does he live in the human body, in the air, in things? To protect yourself from a probable illness, you need to understand all these issues.

How long does the virus live in the human body?

How long does the virus live in the human body? The virus can reside in the cells of the human body long before it starts its active life. This period, which is called the incubation period, can last from several hours to 7 days. It depends on the state of health of the person, the presence of chronic diseases, the strength of the immune system and a number of other factors.

The incubation period is the time when the virus does not just sleep, but multiplies, increasing its own population, releasing toxins, which provoke intoxication. During this period, the subject is already contagious to the people around him.

The causative agent of the disease, lacking a cellular structure, cannot independently produce substances that are necessary for its development and reproduction. It can penetrate into cells, forcing them to reproduce a viral population. After performing this function, the cell simply dies, new sources of infection, toxins formed during the process, are released. Further, the cells located in the neighborhood are exposed to infection, which contributes to an avalanche-like increase in the process.

During the entire period of viral activity inside the cells of the body, a person is contagious to his own environment. It spreads the infection especially actively during the first three days of the disease.

A mild course of the disease allows a person to recover within a week. If we are talking about a complex process of the disease, then a person can remain infectious for at least two weeks.

The flu is active for the first seven days of the incubation period, as well as the next 14 days - until the person is recovering. The pathogen can live in the human body for up to three weeks.

How long does the virus live indoors?

How long does the flu virus live indoors? Having penetrated a room with an air temperature of 20-22 degrees, the causative agent of influenza can remain active for several hours. The low air temperature (about 4 degrees) observed in the refrigerator can protect the virus from death for a week. Therefore, food that has not been eaten by a sick person must be disposed of, it cannot be stored and, subsequently, eaten.

At what temperature does the influenza virus die? The resistance of this infection increases when the temperature does not change, but the level of air humidity decreases. It is important to maintain this figure at 70%, turn on a humidifier, cover heating systems with damp towels and place containers filled with water around the room.

Constant airing of the room, carried out several times a day, for 15-20 minutes, allows you to lower the air temperature and drive the virus out of the apartment.

The pathogen is sensitive to solutions used for surface disinfection. Wet cleaning, when a sick person is in the apartment, is carried out twice a day. The use of a vacuum cleaner, on the other hand, is not recommended. This unit sucks in viral particles inside, from where, after a while, during harvesting, they can again break free.

An ultraviolet lamp is used to disinfect the room.

How long does the flu virus live on things?

The pathogen can settle not only on surfaces and mucous membranes of a person, it is able to live up to 10 days on dishes and other objects. When it comes to tissues, there it can remain active for 1-2 days longer.

Therefore, it is important to provide the sick person with individual cutlery, towels, bedding and other items to maintain personal hygiene. These items should be washed and washed separately. The flu virus dies at a temperature of 60 degrees, so you need to wash it in hot water, and wash the dishes in the dishwasher, or douse them with boiling water (the latter option is not always effective, exposure to hot water should last at least 10 minutes).

You should not put the belongings of the sick person and the rest of the family in the same closet or just put them next to each other. Their washing should be carried out separately, in compliance with the above temperature regime.

How long does the virus live in the external environment?

How long does a flu virus live in the air? Outside the human body, in the external environment, the pathogen can maintain its activity for a long time. Specific dates depend on what air temperature and humidity indicators are observed at a particular moment.

Even a temperature of -70 degrees is not capable of destroying this pathogenic microorganism.

How to avoid getting a virus?

The influenza virus strain has a high prevalence among humans, in order to reduce the likelihood of infection, you should adhere to the following recommendations:

• less to be in crowded places, especially in the season when the incidence of influenza grows;
• actively walk on the street, spending time on walks, and not indoors;
• choose clothes for the weather in order to prevent a situation where the body is exposed to hypothermia;
• avoid driving in vehicles where many people gather, preferring to walk;
• wash hands with soap, rinse the nasal mucosa with saline or saline solution after returning home;
• do not touch the eyes, nose and, in general, the face, while outside the house;
• organize cool, humidified air in the apartment, preventing the mucous membrane from drying out;
• eat well;
• avoid stressful influences;
• rest and sleep;
• take multivitamin complexes.

Influenza infection is difficult to avoid in the midst of a large number of people. In order to protect your own body from this serious disease, you should adhere to preventive recommendations, do not give up sports and active pastime in the fresh air.

site“However, less than 1% of bacteria in the human body can cause disease, while others help perform important functions. For example, the bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, which is used in the manufacture of fermented milk products, helps to digest food and fight harmful microbes.

The microbes inside our body make up the microbiome - the collection of organisms that live in us and interact with each other and with us.

As for viruses, according to scientists, some of them have no effect on us, but it is possible that they are embedded in DNA. This means that we have symbiosis with them, as well as with bacteria.

The complex interconnected work of the human body with microorganisms forms immunity to various kinds of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. In other words, this is a kind of "grafting" of evolution, which ensures the body's resistance to external unfavorable factors.

But despite this, you should not rely on the steadfastness of your immunity and abuse the rules of hygiene, as well as get carried away with constant disinfection of yourself and space. For a healthy person, excessive hygiene can even turn out to be harmful, because the immune system, relieved of the need to constantly fight against microbes, begins to weaken.

Any immunity has its weaknesses - mucous membranes: mouth, nose, genitals, inner surfaces of the eyelids and auditory canals and damaged skin. Therefore, awareness in this area will protect you from both infections and unnecessary fears.

So, despite the differences, the ways of spreading viruses and bacteria are about the same: airborne droplets (coughing, sneezing), from skin to skin (when touching and shaking hands), from skin to food (when touching food with dirty hands, viruses and bacteria can enter the intestines), through body fluids (blood, semen and saliva). Sexually transmitted or through a dirty syringe, HIV and herpes pathogens are most actively spread.

How long do bacteria and viruses live outside the human body?

It all depends on the type of bacteria or virus and the surface on which they are located. Most pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi require humid conditions to live, so how long they can survive outside the body depends on the humidity in the air.

For example, viruses that cause the common cold can live on indoor surfaces for over seven days. Generally speaking, viruses live longer on smooth (water-resistant) surfaces. However, their ability to cause disease begins to decline after 24 hours.

On the surface of the hands, most colds viruses live much less. Some of them die after a few minutes, but 40% of common cold pathogens are infectious after being on the hands for an hour.

Like the common cold viruses, influenza viruses live much shorter lives on the hands. After the influenza virus has been in the hands of a person for five minutes, its concentration drops sharply. On hard surfaces, influenza viruses can live for 24 hours, while on tissue, influenza can live for only 15 minutes.

Influenza viruses can live in droplets of moisture flying in the air for several hours, and even longer in low temperatures.

Intestinal infections can be caused by a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Clostridium difficile and Campylobacter, as well as viruses such as norovirus and rotavirus.

Salmonella and Campylobacter can live for about 1-4 hours on hard surfaces and tissues, while norovirus and Clostridium difficile can live much longer.

Salmonella bacteria

To prevent the spread of intestinal infections, wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, especially after using the toilet. It is also necessary to monitor food hygiene.

Staphylococcus aureus can live on surfaces for days or even weeks, and this can last even longer than some bacteria and viruses generally survive.

Herpes viruses can live for four hours on plastic, three on tissue, and two on skin. If you have a herpes fever, do not touch the blisters. If you do touch them, for example, to apply herpes cream, be sure to wash your hands immediately afterwards.

The causative agent of syphilis outside the human body quickly dies when it dries, under the influence of disinfectants. In a humid environment, it lives for several hours, is not sensitive to low temperatures.

Fears of HIV infection through the bites of mosquitoes, lice, fleas, bedbugs and other blood-sucking insects are a misconception. In medical practice, there are no cases of infection of people with them. It is still difficult to give an exact answer why this does not happen. There is a possibility that the organisms of these creatures contain substances that destroy HIV.

Moreover, complications arising after an acute respiratory viral infection are also dangerous.

An organism that has once undergone acute respiratory infections is not protected from a new infection - a constant mutation of the virus occurs, it lives, forming new complex forms with an even greater degree of infectiousness.

Experts, using strains of influenza, are developing new vaccines to prevent the spread of the next outbreak of SARS. But influenza vaccination is ignored by the majority of the population - therefore, the risk of infection is high.

The spread of infection can be prevented only by quarantine measures - to limit the communication of healthy people with carriers of the infection. Therefore, it is very important to know exactly how many days a person with the flu can be contagious.

Doctors have not yet found an unequivocal answer to this question. French doctors, for example, relying on their research, argue that when infected with ARVI, the circle of communication with the patient should be strictly limited for at least four days.

Employees of the research center of the University. Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris) conducted studies of the intensity of the development of the disease in volunteers infected with the influenza virus. Experts tried to find an answer to the question of how many days the virus lives in the body and how long it remains infectious.

For this, several groups of people were selected, which were monitored by a group of medical experts for ten days. The calculation of the probability of disease among infected participants in the experiment was carried out on the basis of a mathematical algorithm.

Based on the results of the study, scientists found that isolating participants with primary symptoms of influenza made it possible to reduce the number of infected by half.

Based on the results of the experiment, the scientists concluded that over the period from the moment of infection and the transition of pathology to the active phase (4 days), the probability of the spread of the virus to the immediate environment is significantly reduced.

Features of the incubation period

• Low probability of detecting infection on the first day;
• Absence in the incubation period of characteristic signs inherent in the influenza virus;
• Individual duration of the incubation period, depending on the state of the patient's immune system;
• The sudden onset of the disease after the end of the incubation period.

The first day with a cold, it is very difficult to recognize the signs of infection due to the lack of clear symptoms. A person who has been attacked by the virus does not suspect that he has become a carrier of the infection until the first signs of SARS appear.

Since the virus remains active for about 7 days during the incubation period, it is almost impossible to determine the moment of infection. The incubation period of influenza occurs secretly, and it is possible to determine how long it lasts only conditionally, based on its typical manifestations.

The length of the incubation period can vary depending on the state of the person's immune system, as well as on the presence of other viruses. With an intensified attack of a large number of viruses on the immune system, a failure occurs in the body and an intensive development of pathology.

The virus has the ability to multiply at a tremendous speed - within a couple of days after infection, the patient becomes a dangerous virus carrier for the close environment. The likelihood of the danger of infection from such a patient disappears only after a week.

After the incubation period, the disease enters the open phase. The patient feels this by a sudden onset of heaviness throughout the body, muscle soreness and joint aches.

It is necessary to identify the influenza virus in time. To do this, you need to know the primary signs of ARVI. Correct therapy has a positive effect already during the incubation period.

Main risks and characteristic signs of infection

The insidiousness of the influenza virus lies in the difficulty of identifying it at the first stage of the disease. The person does not notice at what period he became infected. Further, the presence of a virus in the body can be judged if the patient has the following characteristic signs:

Infection occurs most often in public places with a large crowd of people - these are shops, public transport, offices. There is also a high probability of infection through common household items, in drafts.

In people with weakened immunity, the duration of the incubation period increases. The risk group for contracting the virus is made up of people living together with an infected patient.

The duration of the illness can also vary for everyone - people with good health are easier to tolerate the illness, which usually lasts from 4 to 14 days.

If the period of a person's sensation of a painful condition is longer than the specified time, it is necessary to see a doctor in order to exclude the possibility of secondary infection or the development of complications.

Preventing Influenza Virus Infection

The influenza virus differs from other viral pathologies in its "secrecy" - even before the first signs of the disease begin to appear, the patient already becomes a carrier of the infection. Until the moment he is diagnosed with a viral infection, a middle-aged patient is a dangerous carrier of the virus for around 5-10 days.

During this period, he is able to infect a large number of people around him.

Often, with a cold, a person continues to go to work, especially if he works on the basis of an employment contract. This is due to the terms of the contract and the current economic situation, when concern for the family budget exceeds concern for their own health.

An apparent cold may be a sign of a virus. The employee becomes a carrier of infection and can infect a significant number of people. Therefore, when several cases of ARVI appear in childcare facilities, educational institutions and at work, quarantine is assigned.

• Bed rest must be observed until the temperature normalizes and the patient's appetite appears.
• If the norms of home quarantine are not observed, the patients who continue to work will increase the activity of the virus and extend the period of possible infection of others.
• Failure to comply with preventive measures leads to the infection of a large number of the population.

The sick person must undergo the prescribed treatment, subject to bed rest and proper nutrition. If these requirements are not met, the doctor may order hospitalization. Doctor Komarovsky will tell you about the period of infectiousness of a patient with ARVI in the video in this article.

How long does the flu virus live?

The information provided will help you get answers to these and other questions.

How does the pathogen spread?

Another way of spreading the flu is through contact. Previously, not too much attention was paid to it, but in recent years this transmission route has become more and more relevant, especially in the city, with a large overcrowding of the population. The infection gets on the patient's skin when sneezing and coughing, if he covers his mouth with his palm, after he wipes his nose with his fingers, or if he blows his nose outside a handkerchief. Further, drops of mucus, saliva remaining on the hands, together with the viral particles contained in them, which remain active on the skin for up to 15 hours, fall on any objects that the sick person touches.

Handrails in public transport, handles for baskets and carts in supermarkets, money, doorknobs in the office - this is where the flu virus lives during an epidemic, remaining virulent for up to two days on plastic and metal objects. From these objects, particles of biological fluids, along with the source of infection, are transferred to the skin of other people, for whom it is enough to scratch their nose, rub their eyes, eat something with their hands (bread, cookies, etc.) so that the infection gets on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and begins develop. "Conscious" people who do not want to become a source of infection can sneeze and cough in the bend of the elbow, it is desirable to teach children to do the same.

To protect yourself from the contact path of transmission of the pathogen, it is recommended not only to wash your hands, but also to use antiseptic wipes or gels during the day. This is especially true for children who regularly lick their fingers, bite their nails, etc. How long the flu virus lives on objects outside of a person will be described in more detail later.

How long does the flu virus live indoors?

Or how long does the flu virus last in the apartment?

Several hours at a temperature of 22 degrees.

But in the refrigerator, where the temperature is usually maintained at about +4 degrees, it can remain viable for a week. Therefore, you do not need to store uneaten food in the refrigerator.

The resistance of the pathogen increases with decreasing air humidity. In dried form, it can be stored for several days. That is why the air in the room where the patient is located must be humidified: turn on a special device, hang wet sheets, terry towels on the batteries, arrange vessels with water. The room itself needs to be ventilated - just ventilated, and not slightly open the window - every two to three hours for at least half an hour. Such ventilation can reduce the concentration of the infectious agent in the air by 80-90%.

The pathogen is sensitive to the action of disinfection solutions, so it is necessary to do wet cleaning with their use twice a day. But vacuuming, on the contrary, is not recommended: most of the filters used in the vacuum cleaner do not trap viruses, while the air jet emanating from them again disperses the infection in the air.

If your home has an ultraviolet lamp, it is ideal for decontaminating a room.

How long does the flu virus live on things?

On objects such as dishes, the infectious agent lives up to 10 days. On the fabric: towels, handkerchiefs - the infection can persist up to 11 days.

The patient needs to have separate dishes. It also needs to be washed separately. If the family uses a dishwasher, choose a mode in which the water is heated to a temperature of at least 60 degrees. At this temperature, the maximum that the influenza virus lasts is 10 minutes.

The patient should have a separate towel that should be kept in his room. In the same way, you cannot put his clothes, handkerchiefs, bed linen with the belongings of the rest of the family. It is possible to wash together with all things at a temperature of 60 degrees, but if the composition of the fabric does not allow this, the items must be washed separately.

Summary

Thus, the resistance of the influenza virus in the external environment is low. How long does the flu virus live outside the body: in the air, on things, depends on:

• on the ambient temperature: the higher, the shorter the lifetime, at room temperature - several hours;
• from air humidity - when dry, in dust, it lives longer;
• from the presence of sources of ultraviolet radiation: under UV rays dies instantly.
• from the surface material: on paper up to 12 hours, on metal or plastic up to 2 days, on glass up to 10 days, on fabric - up to 11.
• the pathogen remains on the skin for up to 15 hours.

How long does the flu virus live in the human body?

You need to start by asking how long the influenza virus lives in the body - in a person - before clinical manifestations of the disease first appear. The incubation period of the disease can last from several hours to a week. All this time, the infection not only lives, but also actively multiplies in the cells of the epithelium of the respiratory tract, so a person becomes infectious already at this time.

Like all viruses, the pathogen itself does not have a cellular structure and is unable to synthesize the substances it needs to exist, let alone multiply independently. Therefore, it penetrates into the cell, integrates into its structures, and the cell begins to synthesize new viruses. Having fulfilled its function, the cell dies, releasing both new sources of infection and toxic substances formed during synthesis. Neighboring cells are infected, and then the process grows like an avalanche.

The disease begins acutely: the state of health rapidly deteriorates, weakness, dizziness, headache appear, the temperature rises rapidly to and above, blood pressure drops. The patient can indicate the time of the disease with an accuracy of literally an hour. This feature of the course of the disease gave it its name (in French grippe means "grab, squeeze"). There are pains in the muscles of the limbs, lower back, aches when moving the eyeballs.

Damage to the epithelium of the trachea leads to a painful cough without discharge. It is characteristic that in the first 2-3 days of the disease there is not a runny nose as such, there is only nasal congestion, no phlegm when coughing. That is why doctors of the old school called this disease "dry catarrh" (catarrhal inflammation - inflammation with mucous discharge). By the time nasal discharge appears, the temperature has already dropped to subfebrile numbers, in mild cases of the disease it disappears altogether. A second round of fever or a prolonged course of it may mean the appearance of bacterial complications.

During illness, the permeability of blood vessels increases, which can manifest itself as nosebleeds and hemorrhages under the wall of the mucous membrane ("crimson trachea"), the development of hemorrhagic pneumonia (caused by the sweating of blood into the alveoli). Therefore, in case of influenza, in no case should the temperature be "brought down" with aspirin or any combined means based on acetylsalicylic acid, which reduces blood clotting. This increases the likelihood of developing hemorrhagic pulmonary edema.

All this time, the patient is actively releasing an infectious agent into the environment. It is especially contagious in the first three days of illness.

With a mild course of the disease, the symptoms disappear in 7-12 days. Virus shedding usually lasts for a week. With a complicated course of influenza, the patient remains contagious for up to two weeks from the onset of the disease.

Thus, how many days does the flu virus live in the human body:

Therefore, the lifespan of the influenza virus is up to 21 days.

How to avoid infection

First of all, during an epidemic, you need to limit contact with people as much as possible. Of course, this does not mean that you need to stop going to work or school. But it is better to postpone visiting entertainment events: cinema, concerts, performances until the end of the epidemic. You should also not use shopping centers as a place for recreational leisure; it is better to change them to open skating rinks, a ski track or an ordinary walk. Despite how long the influenza virus lives at freezing temperatures, its concentration in the outdoor air is practically zero. The main thing is not to overcool.

• If the place of work or study is not too far away, it is better to dress for the weather and get there on foot, instead of collecting the infection on public transport. In addition, an active walk will help strengthen the immune and cardiovascular systems.
• For your own peace of mind, you can use a mask in transport and at work, but it becomes effective for the prevention of infection only when the patient is wearing it. The best thing to do, though, is to convince a colleague to go on sick leave.
• You need to wean yourself from the habit of touching your face with your hands, rubbing your nose and eyes. After transport, shop, before eating, be sure to wash your hands, or, if this is not possible, treat them with an antiseptic gel.
• Back home, you can rinse your nose with saline or special sprays. This will not only mechanically remove some of the infectious agents from the mucous membrane, but also moisturize it.
• Both the home and workplace need to be ventilated to reduce the concentration of the virus in the room.
• In order for the mucous membrane to fully fulfill its protective functions, it is necessary to constantly humidify the air in the room, preventing the formation of dry crusts in the nose.
• The general condition of the body can improve good nutrition, adherence to the daily regimen, and the intake of multivitamin complexes.

conclusions

How long the flu virus lives in a room, remains on objects, will depend on the temperature and humidity of the air, as well as the material of the surface. A person becomes infectious from the beginning of the incubation period until the end of the disease, which in the worst case can be three weeks from the moment of infection.

To prevent infection, it is necessary to observe the daily regimen, avoiding overwork, to be more often in the fresh air, avoiding large crowds of people, to carefully pay attention to personal hygiene and hygiene of the premises in which you have to be.

Additional strengthening of the body's defenses can be facilitated by dosed physical activity, proper nutrition, and, if necessary, taking vitamin and mineral complexes.

how long does the flu virus live outside

How long do bacteria and viruses live outside the human body?

It all depends on the type of bacteria or virus and the surface on which they are located. Most pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi require humid conditions to live, so how long they can survive outside the body depends on the humidity in the air and on the surface.

Cold viruses have been shown to live on indoor surfaces for over seven days. Generally speaking, viruses live longer on smooth (water-resistant) surfaces such as stainless steel and plastic than on porous surfaces such as textiles and fabrics. Although cold viruses can live on surfaces for several days, their ability to cause illness begins to decline after 24 hours.

On the surface of the hands, most colds viruses live much less. Some of them survive for only a few minutes, but 40% of rhinoviruses, the common pathogen of the common cold, remain contagious when left on the hands for an hour.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), another common cold virus that sometimes causes severe illness in children, can live on the dinner table for up to six hours, on cloth and paper for minutes, and on the skin for up to 20 minutes.

Influenza viruses are transmitted by hand and infect the human body. They can live on hard surfaces for 24 hours. Influenza viruses can survive on tissue for as little as 15 minutes.

Like the common cold viruses, influenza viruses live much shorter lives on the hands. After the influenza virus has been in the hands of a person for five minutes, its concentration drops sharply.

Influenza viruses can live in droplets of moisture flying in the air for several hours, and in low temperatures they live even longer.

Parainfluenza virus, the causative agent of croup in children, can live for 10 hours on hard

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List of answers to frequently asked questions about influenza

Swine flu began to spread rapidly across Latvia, and the first case of death has already been recorded. As of November 11, 165 people have already been infected with the new virus in Latvia.

To inform residents about how to behave in a possible pandemic, the Ministry of Health published a “list of frequently asked questions” on its website.

A patient who has diagnosed symptoms (see below) that may indicate influenza should immediately consult their family doctor by phone. It is advisable to stay at home and not appear in public, so as not to expose others to the risk of infection.

Information on what exactly needs to be done in case of illness can be obtained from the Latvian Infectology Center, as well as from epidemologists in the regions of Latvia.

Self-governments, in case of an unfavorable situation, can take measures to preserve epidemiological safety - for example, impose restrictions on mass events. But at the moment there are no restrictions.

The influenza caused by the A (H1N1) vīruss virus is a new subspecies of "human flu" that is a completely new combination of different types of this infection. Swine flu spreads from person to person in the same way as usual: by airborne droplets. The main danger is viruses that the patient spreads by talking, sneezing or coughing. It is also possible to get infected from objects used by an infected person.

The influenza virus is able to survive in the air from 2 to 9 hours, on the hands it lasts for 8-15 minutes, on paper, cardboard, cloth of watches, on metal surfaces of watches. With a decrease in humidity and air temperature, the resistance of the virus grows

How long do influenza viruses live?

The most favorable environment for the spread and life of bacteria of this insidious and dangerous disease is a humid environment, and it does not matter what it will be, or mucous membranes of a person, for example, the nose and throat, or it will be just any object in everyday life. Scientists have proven that the influenza virus on a dry hard surface can exist within twenty-four hours, which means that if a healthy person uses this item, he may well become infected. As for the ingress of this virus, when a patient sneezes or coughs, on any object of our everyday life, be it a table or a book, he usually lives within two to eight hours. The most important thing that influenza bacteria cannot tolerate is regular wet cleaning using ordinary detergents and a very important factor - ventilation.

It is believed that many factors affect the viability of the influenza virus outside the carrier. All of them are not fully understood, so doctors talk about the lifetime of the influenza virus very roughly. So, everyone agrees that the influenza virus is not transmitted with water and generally does not tolerate high humidity, therefore the higher the humidity, the less the virus lives. The same applies to temperature, at high temperatures the influenza virus is not viable and that is why there are almost no flu epidemics in summer. The influenza virus can live in the air for up to 9 hours, a little more on paper, fabric, soft porous surfaces, the virus lives on metal objects even longer - up to a day. Well, on the hands of a person only 15 minutes.

I read this information that viruses can live up to 2 !! weeks in the dust of the house, for example. That is why wet cleaning and airing are important.

The life of a virus in a normal environment is short-lived. Some species, hitting the railings or things, will not be viable in 5 minutes. In the air where

How does the flu proceed, what is it now and how long does the virus live?

To know how the flu proceeds, you need to know everything about this disease: how long does it last, what are its symptoms and how to cure it?

He lives for a long time and can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy one. However, it exists outside the body for a very short time.

Influenza characteristics

This disease is seasonal. Influenza occurs in cold times: early spring, winter, late autumn. The disease can develop in every person, regardless of age and gender.

The flu can spread to several large regions at once. The influenza virus was officially registered in 1931; it was unified in 1933.

Virus B was registered in 1936 and virus C in 1947. Group A virus is a disease that occurs in a moderate or complex form.

This virus can be infected not only by humans, but also by animals. With this disease, severe pandemics and epidemics appear (the disease can quickly spread throughout the entire country).

Influenza B virus can flare up in several regions at the same time. It is often the beginning for the spread of the virus.

Flu

The current version of the page has not yet been reviewed by experienced contributors and may differ significantly from the version reviewed on December 6, 2017; checks require 2 edits.

Influenza (fr. Grippe) is an acute infectious disease of the respiratory tract caused by the influenza virus. It is included in the group of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI). Periodically spreads in the form of epidemics and pandemics. Currently, more than 2000 variants of the influenza virus have been identified, differing in their antigenic spectrum.

According to WHO estimates, from all variants of the virus during seasonal epidemics in the world annually die from 250 to 500 thousand people (most of them are over 65 years old), in some years the number of deaths can reach a million

Often, the word "flu" in everyday life is also called any acute respiratory disease (ARVI), which is erroneous, since in addition to influenza, more than 200 types of other respiratory viruses (adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial viruses, etc.) that cause flu-like diseases in humans

To prevent influenza, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccinating all people over 6 months of age (especially those at risk), using personal protective equipment, reducing contact with sick people, using antiviral drugs as directed by a doctor

In many European languages, influenza is called "influenza" (Italian influenza - "impact"), a name that at one time originated in Rome in the middle of the 18th century due to the potential virulence of infection, as if affecting a healthy population.

Seasonal changes from summer to autumn bring not only colorful leaves, cozy gatherings by the fireplace and a series of holidays, but also such unpleasant symptoms for our body as fever, sneezing, runny nose and cough. Yes

The virus was first isolated in the 1930s. Rooster viruses rel

Researchers at the Harvard of Public Health argue that certain foods can cause intestinal inflammation, leading to colon and rectal cancer. Experts have conducted a study involving more than humans. In the course of the work, the data of two large-scale experiments were analyzed, during which the potential influence of a group of various factors on human health was studied for 25 years.

The dynamic robot simulator of a baby was invented by scientists from the Saratov Medical University. The model is supposed to be used in the classroom of medical students and in the accreditation of physicians.

Nowadays, the popularity of electric toothbrushes is growing steadily all over the world, many people use them for daily oral care. Especially for those who prefer electric toothbrushes R.O.C.S. developed a unique toothpaste -R.O.C.S. PROElectro & Whitening.

According to the Minister of Healthcare Veronika Skvortsova, in 2-3 years the quality in the industry will be monitored electronically, on the basis of a unified state information system and electronic document management.

One of the Google divisions has invested 20 million pounds in a project to develop a universal drug for all types of influenza. The project belongs to the British company Vaccitech. These funds are supposed to be used to conduct 2-year clinical trials of a new drug, with the participation of more than 2000 volunteers.

How long does the hepatitis C virus live outside the body under room conditions? for example, in dried blood. Can you get infected if blood got on a punching bag two years ago? The pear was rubbed with alcohol.

Hello again, dear blog readers! To cure diseases of the bronchopulmonary system, in combination with medications, natural preparations are often used. Taking badger fat from cough

Most hepatitis viruses are highly resistant to environmental factors and disinfectants, even the AIDS virus is not so viable. D

How long does the flu virus live?

Influenza virus is a representative of RNA-containing viruses from the family of orthomyxoviruses, causing acute damage to various parts of the respiratory tract. It is transmitted by airborne droplets and by contact. An infectious agent is capable of causing pandemics, and given the possibility of a severe course and the development of complications, it is not surprising that many are interested not only in the route of transmission and clinical manifestations.

How long does the flu virus live in the air, on clothes, in a person? How long does a flu virus last indoors? What to do to reduce the chance of infection?

Influenza virus: how long does it live in the external environment?

How long the influenza virus lives outside the body, in the external environment depends on the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air.

Despite the fact that at subzero temperatures the influenza virus lives for years, and at -70 not only lives, but also retains virulence (the ability to infect), in general it is not very stable.

The causative agent of the infection enters the air together with a suspension of saliva and catarrhal secretions, which are thrown out when sneezing and coughing. The infection spreads up to 3.5 meters. If it is not possible to isolate the patient, he needs to wear a mask that would trap drops of mucus and saliva; the mask needs to be changed every 2-3 hours.

The mask is unable to filter out the pathogen that has already entered the air - for this, its pores are too large. Therefore, wearing it to healthy people for preventive purposes is irrational.

Another way of spreading the flu is through contact. Previously, not too much attention was paid to it, but in recent years this transmission route has become more and more relevant, especially in the city, with a large overcrowding of the population. The infection gets on the patient's skin when sneezing and coughing if he covers his mouth with his hand after he wipes his nose with his fingers

Hygienic project by Vyacheslav Yurievich and Ivan Vyacheslavovich Konovalov

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISEASES, THEIR COURSE AND SYMPTOMS

Respiratory - is it related to the respiratory system?

SARS is a persistent term for upper respiratory tract infections. Their group includes (the most common) influenza, parainfluenza, rhinovirus (affects mainly the nasal mucosa), adenovirus (mainly affects the lymphoid tissue - tonsils, as well as the conjunctiva of the eye), respiratory syncytial virus (affects the deeper parts of the respiratory system: bronchi, small bronchi-bronchioles and up to the alveoli).

About the features - how to distinguish ARVI from everything else (so that in the process of self-medication, if it happens, it does not harm).

It is in this way that people get ill in a latent form with all sorts of rather serious diseases, such as hepatitis A, forming lifelong immunity to them :).

ARVI in Russia is diagnosed almost exclusively clinically (i.e., without laboratory confirmation). In case of complications - yes, they are already doing everything in full. Well, they are looking for the virus in children, because their disease can be more dangerous (for example, parainfluenza in the form of croup, adenovirus in the form of severe conjunctivitis or mononucleosis-like syndrome).

How to distinguish a viral infection from a bacterial one?

Laboratory - lymphocytosis, neutropenia (this is when there are too many lymphocytes and too few neutrophils). Clinically - everything usually starts with a viral attack, bacteria attach later with ineffective self-healing. After the fifth day of high (above 38) temperatures, antibiotics are already justified. If you throw them off right away, viruses practically do not care, but we destroy the useful microflora that helps to fight them.

Does it make sense in everyday life to distinguish between the types of ARVI (if yes, then how) or should they be treated in the same way?

In general, the same.

Sinusitis? Angina? Does this also apply to them?

They are considered already as complications of ARVI, when bacterial agents are layered on the “fertile” damaged soil. Although, for example, with the flu, a child may well develop catarrhal (not purulent) sinusitis due to reactive edema of the mucous membranes of the paranasal sinuses. It will go away on its own when recovering, the appointment of antibiotics in a controlled course of influenza does not require.

And, excuse me, cystitis, also like a cold (viral?) Happens.

A decrease in the tone of the proactive immune system leads to the fact that those who have always lived there (for example, chronic chlamydia or herpes virus) multiply and attack. Plus, immune complexes formed when viruses are captured in the blood using special systems are deposited in various organs, causing immune inflammation - up to carditis (inflammation of the heart tissue), or glomerulonephritis (damage to the glomeruli in the kidneys).

What is a "cold under the nose"? Herpes or something.

Herpes labialis (labial). Caused by the herpes simplex virus. We have been infected with it almost without exception since childhood. It lives in the trigeminal ganglia (in the cheekbone / temple area). When the immune system is weakened (hypothermia, stressful situations, ARVI), it actively multiplies and comes out in the form of bubbles on the lip, oral mucosa.

And the flu is also in business here, I don’t confuse?

Yes sir. In the lists of diseases - "flu and ARVI" always go hand in hand.

Can you say a few words about the new one in the context of differences from previous strains?

To put it succinctly - until the vaccines are made (a matter of time), it is more vicious in severe cases. But it all depends on the initial reactivity of the organism and the presence of chronic diseases in it.

Interested in the features of the course and treatment of ARVI in children! How to treat normally, what complications are possible, how to notice and prevent them in time. Something like that.

In children, all complaints and manifestations are more general, the symptoms are more pronounced, rapidly onset and acute.

In very small (up to 3 years) ARVI can be accompanied by abdominal pain, moderate diarrhea. This is a functional state due to inflammatory substances, which are excreted in abundance in children, and not an intestinal infection.

In small ones, all sorts of edematous processes begin faster due to well-developed vessels in the mucous membrane. That is, nasal congestion, hoarseness, congestion and ear pain develop rapidly.

Features of treatment - of the antipyretics, only paracetamol (Panadol, Calpol) and ibuprofen (Nurofen) are allowed. It is better to use suppositories, because they are quickly absorbed, have a quick effect and are less irritating to the gastric mucosa.

Another feature is a good effect from the use of physical methods of cooling (undress, put under a fan, wipe the skin with cold water with vinegar and vodka). Temperatures at which it is necessary to knock it down in children are above 38.5. In adults - 39.5.

If it is about children, please explain the connection between teething and snot.

When teething occurs, inflammation occurs, and in children, reactions seize the adjacent areas: teeth are cut, and the inflammation goes to the nose too. And it can also affect the belly - the teeth are part of the digestive system.

It is also interesting how green snot differ from transparent ones.

Transparent - mucus, green - pus. If yellow and green, bacteria have joined.

Highlight the nature of bone breaking.

Most viruses that cause ARVI (especially flu) lead to disturbances at the level of microcirculation. This leads to a breakdown in the blood supply to individual cells throughout the body. Special substances are allocated - pro-inflammatory cytokines, histamine-like substances, which several times increase the sensitivity of pain receptors in response to stimuli. As a result, what used to be ticklish becomes unbearably painful.

Dry and wet cough - how to distinguish?

Dry is one that does not gurgle or cough up. Unproductive, in short.

What violations of the temperature regime can occur with diseases of the ARVI discharge?

In the tower (in the hypothalamus) there are cold and heat receptors, they regulate heat production and heat release.

With a viral lesion, the work of this center is disrupted, the pendulum shifts towards a decrease in the sensitivity of the heat receptor and an increase in the sensitivity of the cold one. The body tries to balance the balance by increasing the systemic temperature through hormonal regulation, fat breakdown, vascular response, and sweating.

Can a person tolerate ARVI without fever?

Maybe. This happens in two cases - either when the virus could not have a systemic effect and was targeted by proactive immunity at the level of the local mucosa (runny nose and that's it), or when the human immune system has serious shifts, so that the virus, being in the body, does not cause any response reactions of the body. This is a serious condition that requires an integrated approach.

Should you be vaccinated or not?

At the moment, there are only flu vaccines. The Influenza Institute monitors the circulation of certain strains every year (the virus mutates every year, and it can mutate a little - with gene drift, which occurs every year, or maybe strongly - with a shift, which happens about once every 10 years). Thus, a vaccine for the next autumn-winter season is being developed and ready by about the beginning of autumn - September. Then it makes sense to be vaccinated.

It is necessary to remember a few facts - vaccines are formed against the most statistically probable strains of the virus (as a rule, three different strains), the protective level of antibodies is formed no earlier than 1-2 weeks after the completed course of vaccination (as a rule, these are two vaccinations with an interval of 1 month ).

Today, the vast majority of influenza vaccines are inactivated (that is, they contain either killed viruses, or in general only their fragments). This means that a person is physically unable to get the flu after using this vaccine. All cases of the disease in the early post-vaccination period are usually associated with contact of this person with other sick people.

The vaccine itself is believed to be no more stressful for the body than other stressors (lack of sleep, poor nutrition, emotional and physical overload). Statistically, vaccination does not increase the incidence of other ARVI infections.

They say (I've heard this), it is necessary, like, once a year to catch a good cold and get sick with a temperature and all the things. It's kind of useful, they say. Healthy?

Immunity can be "acquired" passively - tempering, a correct lifestyle, exercise, diet. You can - actively: when a virus swooped down on you and you overcame it.

ARVI diseases are distinguished by the fact that they no longer develop as a result of the virus affecting body tissues, but as a result of a powerful response of the body in response to the introduction of the virus. Thus, an easily current ARVI is a stimulant of a number of adaptive systems of the body.

For example, children who are sensitive to acute respiratory viral infections must often get sick with them in order to temper the body for really massive collisions with other people (at school). Plus, active growth rushing in moments after the temperature drops - due to growth hormone (pitching knows about it).

Well, when a person reacts poorly to an infectious agent, a chronic and implicit course of the disease develops. This indicates a low resistance, which dictates a person's appeal to a specialist for further proceedings, with which this is connected.

How to get sick then if you are not sick nifiga? 🙂

No way - to arrange prevention: hardening, nutrition, sleep patterns, diets, physical education.

How to increase immunity: what to eat and drink?

Nonspecifically, it is possible to influence only, direct dependence is implicit. I'm not talking about drugs, but about food. Food should be varied enough to have the entire set of vitamins and minerals. Enough protein in composition (hello to women who are losing weight): antibodies are protein structures.

Why didn’t you get sick in the ice on a harsh hike, but at home at the computer it blew from a draft?

In a harsh campaign, the body and psyche are set up to overcome obstacles, they spend a lot of resources for this. And at home at the computer you are relaxed.

How not to get sick, if guaranteed in an infectious environment (do not offer a gas mask and other muzzles).

The same remantadine can be taken prophylactically. Not the fact that it will help.

Is it possible to somehow check the level of the immune system?

Can. You can make an immunogram by analyzing blood from a vein.

What and why the transfer of acute respiratory infections is fraught with "on the legs" 🙂

As I already wrote above, the problem of acute respiratory infections is not in hellishly evil viruses, but in a hellishly evil reaction of the body to their appearance. The body beats by itself due to the restructuring of its work. The activation of adaptation mechanisms is fraught with a complete transition of the body to the regeneration mode. At this moment, there is a failure both in the immune system (proven by the study of immunograms in those who are sick and those who recover - the most serious shifts), and in the autonomic nervous system, which, in turn, strongly controls the blood supply and functionality of organs.

Physical and mental stress at these moments acts even more forcing on the adaptive mechanisms, leaving the body practically naked and unarmed against a host of various microscopic creatures that are always around and just waiting for the body to weaken.

As a result - the attachment of a secondary bacterial infection in different systems (sinusitis, otitis media, pneumonia).

Also, the overclocked immune system already produces a large number of immune complexes that are deposited in various organs and tissues. Thus, after the flu, you can earn a complication in the form of severe pyelonephritis, thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, endocarditis or polyradiculoneuritis - choose!

Given that the inflammatory substances released at the time of illness are destructive, it turns out that the body burns itself.

What kind and in what case do complications arise with "ARVI on the legs"?

The most common flu cases are pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs), glomerulonephritis (kidney damage), endocarditis (heart disease), arthritis (joint damage). All this is a consequence of the fact that the body rushed after the owner on business, instead of fully devoting itself to the struggle.

How not to infect if you are sick, but have to communicate a lot, for example, negotiations.

No way. You cannot do this, this is the cause of epidemics.

Personal protective equipment by the type of masks is effective only within 2-4 hours from the beginning of their use. Then you need to change.

Are there any "points of solution", like now I have been ill / rested for 4 hours, but the total time of illness will be reduced by 4 days. Those. if an active regimen is required, there is no time to get sick, then when can the most effective effect on the disease be carried out?

No, this is all harmful, it is not recommended to write about it. Like, "eat drugs."

The meaning of the disease is to mobilize the body for this process, that is, our body accepts the conditions of war and goes into a mode of energy saving, increased formation of various substances, suppressing our "normal" rhythm of life. If you keep the rhythm of life, you can lead the disease to a protracted course, complications and depletion of the body.

In addition to useful advice on the subject, I think it would be interesting to debunk some of the so-called. folk recipes that only worsen the course of the disease.

Most of the so-called folk recipes (drink vodka, go to the bathhouse, squat with a barbell, mustard plasters, cutting off a toe) appeals to local irritation of the mucous membrane, which improves blood flow to it. In some cases, this accelerates the processes of repair-recovery, and also has a stimulating effect on the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal system, “accelerates” metabolism, raises the temperature, which allows faster destruction of infectious particles, and also stimulates the regenerative forces of the body.

If the body is weakened, then such methods can only be harmful.

Highlight the nature of the need to "drink more" and the effective and ineffective ways of drinking it

The rise in temperature as a result and the mechanism for combating ARVI increases the consumption of fluid with respiration and sweating. Vegetation is also stimulated by increasing the volume and frequency of urination. Large volumes of water are also lost with a runny nose. It is necessary not only to restore this water, but in excess - so that the body “flushes out” all the toxic decomposition products of its own cells of the respiratory tract.

How correct and effective from the point of view of medicine is the home method of treatment, with a large amount of fluids driven through the body (hot tea, milk, broths, regular sweating)?

Alcohol and SARS - how to combine the useful and the pleasant?

No, alcohol increases intoxication and disrupts blood supply by lowering pressure.

What is the position of medicine regarding the mixture of vodka + pepper + honey in such cases.

Negative. Better tea.

Like vodka with pepper. It helped me, it didn't always work for others. I am tormented - why?

The local irritating effect depends on how tired the body is, how ready to "break" itself. The point is in the mobilization of defense systems at the level of local mucous membranes. If the virus is sitting seriously and has already multiplied, such procedures, apart from increasing intoxication, will not help much, plus they can tear the mucous membrane due to a chemical burn.

Is it true that vaunted all sorts of miraculous remedies such as Coldrex / Teraflu, etc., if they are useful, then perhaps only when they are used at the first suspicion of a cold, and if you have already caught a cold properly, then there will be no sense in "treating" them ?

Let's not talk about the "vaunted miracle remedies", there are a lot of them and they are different.

At the first suspicion of a cold, antiviral drugs are effective - such as remantadine, tamiflu, as well as immunostimulants such as interferon, t-activin, ribovirin, etc. But this is all - only as prescribed by a doctor, although it is sold - alas - free.

The fact is that most of the viruses that cause ARVI live in the body for an hour, all other reactions are the response of the raging body to this short visit. Therefore, ARVI monotherapy is ineffective, a complex fight is needed - both with the virus (if it has time) and with the symptoms, to prevent complications.

Yes, it is very interesting to hear all kinds of drugs: what is the difference, what is the active ingredient inside, which is better, etc.

Now there are so many different complex preparations that I will go on horseback.

Of the antivirals, there are two main drugs: remantadine and oseltamivir (tamiflu). They are drunk only if they started drinking from the first day of the disease. Moreover, Tamiflu is active exclusively against the influenza virus, and remantadine seems to help with other acute respiratory viral infections. Children under 14 years old should not be given them - they are heavy on the liver.

Antipyretics - paracetamol and ibuprofen.

Antihistamines - fenistil, zyrtec, erius, claritin, suprastin.

Local antiseptics for rinsing - soda-salt solution (per liter of water, a tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon of soda), sage extract or decoction.

In the nose - vasoconstrictor (no longer than 3-4 days in a row!) Such as nasivin, naphthyzin.

With a wet cough - ACC, ambroxol (ambrobene).

Drink plenty of acidified water (cranberry juice).

Are Teraflu and Fervexa suitable from the point of view of filling and action?

In teraflu, paracetamol (antipyretic), pseudoephedrine (reduces vegetative manifestations, reduces mucosal edema) and chlorphenamine (antihistamine, reduces sensitivity and soreness, reduces mucosal edema).

Fervex - paracetamol, pheniramine (antihistamine), ascorbic acid (antioxidant).

In general, they are quite digestible drugs.

Alcohol when using the same Fervex is not said (like it hits the liver hard). How true is this?

The use of all kinds of nasivins, naphthyzines, etc. with a cold.

Instead, a solution of table salt is better. Naphthyzines and Nazivins - no longer than 3-4 days, then categorically cancel.

About all sorts of drops / sprays for the common cold: on the basis of what there are, what mechanisms of action, what side effects.

Two main groups: vasoconstrictor (naphthyzin, nasivin) - are extremely effective in single use.

They constrict the vessels, thereby limiting the flow of fluid through the vessels into the submucosa, reducing edema. Addictive.

The second is saline solutions (aqua-maris). They draw water from the mucous membrane, removing it by blowing it out. Have no side effects.

How often can they be used?

The first - no longer than 3 days, the second - while the swelling of the nose persists.

Washing with saline solution (half a teaspoon per 250 ml), instilling vegetable oil.

Vasoconstrictor (nasivin) - no longer than 3-4 days, cancel as early as possible, leads to mucosal atrophy.

How, when and how to bring down the temperature.

Rubbing with cold water with vinegar and vodka (a third of water, a third of vodka, a third of vinegar).

Paracetamol (15-20 mg / kg).

Ibuprofen (10-15 mg / kg).

Rinse with baking soda, bioparox, sage decoction.

When dry and unbearable - codelack (better not). Became wet - ACC, fluifort, ambroxol.

About cough - how to deal with dry cough attacks, how to prevent them.

There are drugs that block the cough reflex in the respiratory center, containing codeine, such as codelac. The use of antihistamines, such as suprastin, can also help - they reduce the sensitivity of receptors.

How much better / worse instead of naphthyzine to use teraflu, etc. drugs?

These are different drugs.

Are there more or less safe "anti-snot drugs" outside of Teraflu, etc.? If so, is it worth using them?

Saline solutions - aqua-maris.

And what is the fundamental difference between Aquamaris, saline and just water and salt? Well, apart from the price?

Is it correct in such a situation to apply teraflu, etc. in order to free your nose?

Gargle with soda-saline solution.

By the way, I have long wanted to, but hesitated to ask - how to rinse your nose?

You can do it like yogi - you pour salt water into a small kettle, tilt your head over the sink, turn it to the side, pour it into the “upper” nostril from the kettle, breathe through your mouth, don't draw water into yourself, it should pour down from the other nostril.

Then you mark, then your feet together on a stand at attention, you tilt down and exhale sharply with your nose 30 times, then pinch one nostril with your finger, 30 more times, then the other, 30 more times.

Repeat until the sensation of water in the nose disappears. The nose must be dry.

It can be simpler, less effective - you soak a turunda made of cotton wool or gauze in salt water and stuff it into your nose, for three to five minutes. Then you pull it out.

If the child is small, it is dangerous to wash his nose with water - it can rise up to the auditory tube, flood it or transfer an infectious agent (virus) into it, which will lead to the development of otitis media (catarrhal, which can be complicated by purulent).

Children need to rinse their nose very carefully, instilling a saline solution (aqua maris, aqualor, or just a saline solution of NaCl salt), 2-4 drops in each nasal passage, followed by marking. A small child does not know how to blow his nose, so he will swallow mucus and physical. solution. There is nothing wrong with that, viruses are inactivated by hydrochloric acid of gastric juice.

1) Rinsing the nasal passages (see above - saline solutions)

2) The use of vasoconstrictor drugs (used for swelling of the nasal mucosa to ensure the normal outflow of mucus from the nasal passages and paranasal sinuses, which prevents the development of their inflammation - sinusitis, frontal sinusitis, ethmoiditis and their combinations). In this case, it is important to observe the age dosage: for newborns, the concentration of the active substance is not more than 0.01%, for young children 0.025%, over 0.05%. At the rate of about 2-3 drops in each nasal passage 3 times a day. Overdose is dangerous in children, as it can cause disturbances in cardiovascular activity (drop in pressure, decrease in heart rate, decrease in body temperature).

These drugs are not recommended to be used longer than 3-5 days, because they cease to work effectively. With their further use, drug-dependent rhinitis (runny nose) may even develop due to atrophy of the nasal mucosa.

3) The use of antiseptic drugs (many of them are already ineffective in their antiviral action, but can be used as a physical method of cleaning - for example, protargol 2%. There are effective drugs - for example, octenisept (requires dilution for use in the nose about 1 to 8 s They are used strictly after cleansing the nose with saline solutions and after the onset of the action of the vasoconstrictor drug.

How to effectively take away a newly contracted ARVI, when, for example, you come back from work and you feel that you are ill.

Hot tea with honey and raspberries, measure the temperature, and sleep under a blanket.

About children will be good. About pregnant women it would be like “but during pregnancy it’s impossible to eat, but this is possible and it is necessary to see a doctor” - well, I don’t know how it’s accepted there.

During pregnancy, you should immediately consult a doctor, I really do not recommend self-medication, because drugs for the treatment of pregnant women are just one or two and have run out.

When is it time to go to the ENT - with how many diseases during the period. Or for what symptoms.

To ENT - with angina with overlaps, with a pronounced increase in lymph nodes, with nosebleeds, with pain in the ear, with pain in the forehead and upper jaw when bending (and without bending).

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Questions and answers about ARVI: 37 comments

Very useful and practical advice.

Hello! Thanks for the advice, I found a lot of useful information in them.

How do you feel about Arbidol? Personally, it helps me: ARVI proceeds easily and naturally. Confused only by the fact that all sorts of residual effects (dry cough, wheezing in the throat, coughing) persist for a long time. How to finally defeat the disease?

As with other biostimulants - with caution.

I beg your pardon, but I do not understand what it means "with caution." to drink or not to drink? Maybe he (arbidol) cripples the immune system or something else. The instructions for the drug do not indicate anything other than possible allergic reactions.

Is human interferon also a biostimulant?

These are the most obvious, studied effects of immunostimulants.

Is it possible to get sick with ARVI again immediately after recovery, for example, having dried off with a towel that you used when you were sick? or how long will the body still "not be able" to get sick with this virus? and in general, how often do you need to change things (dishes, towels) during an illness or for a sick person is it already give a damn about it?

You can get sick again, but, rather, not from underwear, but from relatives living with you - virus carriers. Of course, this does not exclude the need for strict adherence to personal hygiene. And about the period of recovery of the body from the disease - it all depends on the strength of the individual immunological reaction and the type of metabolism.

Thank you for such a complete article.

Now all relatives and friends will be properly treated.

Thank you for such a complete article. Just your advice went into action.

So far, the best I've read on the topic on the net!) Thank you.

Hello! Thank you very much for the article! I have been sitting at home for three days with ARVI. I have tried all the alternative methods of treatment. Nothing helps. There is a whole set of ailments: runny nose, throat, ligaments, wild headache, pain in the heart. I have not taken traditional medicines for more than three years. Homeopathic remedies do not have an effect, unfortunately. Cough and a lot of mucus, nose doesn’t breathe, in general, at least lie down and die. Allergic to antibiotics from youth. But I still hope to survive. Thank you!

Tell me, is fasting curative?

Is an. Therefore, it has strict medical indications, must be prescribed by a specialist doctor and requires medical supervision for the entire period.

And if there are any principles for self-treatment of these diseases?

The principles of nutrition and fasting.

My child and I fell ill with ARVI. The acute stage has passed, I am being treated for the 7th day (I drink Amiksin and Ascoril), the child is 5th day (I drink Arbidol and Ambrobene). Dad got sick. We are terrified of deterioration and re-infection (weak immunity, both allergic). Is it worth isolating Daddy from us or not? And what measures can we take in this situation?

The main measure is contact with your attending physician, who made appointments and has an objective understanding of your family, the state of health of its members and the characteristics of the current disease. Only he, and only in person, has the right to answer your questions. Get well.

Thanks a lot for the article! Like a breath of fresh air among the multitude of publications, in which both Ocylococccinum and Anaferon are sure to shine, and the devil knows what homeopathy is the scourge of our feral society. And here - everything is reasonable, clear, clear. Thanks again! You are doing an important job.

Thank you. While studying the information. Everything is available whenever possible and a professional approach is felt. Questions later))

Now the questions are ripe: can you advise asthmatics sick with ARVI and, therefore, who have received an exacerbation of the disease (constant wheezing, coughing, choking) ((((

Marina, the most important thing that you need to do in this case is to contact a pulmonologist-allergist, with whom you should be registered for your main disease (bronchial asthma). The fact is that your individual treatment regimen will also depend on the availability and volume of "basic" therapy (that is, those drugs and procedures that you should use outside of attacks).

I can only say that two basic principles of treatment will have to be observed at the same time: 1) ensure the patency of the bronchi (expand them, relieve their inflammation, actively remove phlegm) and decide on the appointment of antibacterial drugs (since the line between ARVI and the activation of its own internal bacterial microflora in such cases is very, very thin).

Also, personally, I would advise you to think about vaccination against pneumococcal infection (for example, Pneumo-23 or Prevenar) and the annual mandatory vaccination against influenza, which would reduce the frequency of such exacerbations.

Thank you, very detailed and clearly stated!

Thank you, interesting and useful!

There is an important question for me. My son, (8 years old), after ARVI developed severe thinness, close to exhaustion. Appetite is good, but there is no increase in body weight. How can you help him?

Natalia, you need to understand individually: after ARVI does not always mean that due to ARVI. Was it ARVI, or was it masking the debut of some systemic disease. Associated health problems, if any. You should consult with your supervising pediatrician.

Thanks for the accessible article! Right now I’m lying at home with some kind of infection: my nose is running, my whole body aches, my head breaks, Vidon, to put it mildly, not very ... 🙂 Today is day 2 (yesterday was easier), the temperature does not rise above 36.5. I think the body gave up without a fight 🙁 What do you advise? I myself drink kagocel, eleutherococcus, vitamins, absorbable tablets with echinacea, pinosol in the nose + plenty of drink. I am very confused by the lack of a response from the body in the form of temperature. To say that the body managed to kill the virus before its reproduction is not true, the symptoms are on the face + a state of complete weakness. Maybe you can advise something about this. Have you read about an immunogram for a blood test, when is it better to do it? Many thanks!

It was me again, just in case, measured the temperature, now it is 37.4 (and last night it was no more than 36.5). Apparently, after all, some work is underway to destroy the reptiles :)) My questions remain valid: about the immunogram and the correctness of the treatment I prescribed for myself. When would you advise to go to work, so that later without a second take? I took time off for a day, but it looks like this is not enough ...

Thanks again!

Tatyana, I see no reason to prescribe so many immunomodulatory drugs, provided that you are sick with the usual ARVI. However, over the Internet, according to your description of the picture of the disease, it is at least unprofessional to give advice on patient management. Contact your GP, according to the law, you can be provided with a sick leave for 3+ days.

Hello. I have long wanted to ask. Why do some drugs cost some crazy money, tens and even hundreds of thousands of rubles? Where are the prices for commercially produced drugs from? Are expensive components used there, or does each bottle do it - is it manually synthesized by a team of pharmacists? Who assigns such price tags? Can these prices be reduced to the cost of conventional bulk drugs? Are you aware of such cases in practice?

The answer is, of course, more complicated. But in a nutshell, cost is the subject of the pharmaceutical business. And all, the politics that he stipulates.

It is very difficult to carry the disease "on your feet" and, as is true, is indicated in the article, is fraught with consequences, but still sometimes it is impossible to lie down in bed. I work on shifts and here it is problematic with time off, I was cured with Amiksin for the last time, in about two days. I am very glad that some medications help so quickly.

Thank you very useful article

Thank you for the article. Please tell me if an adult is sick 8-10 times a year with various ARVIs, what can you advise. Could this be due to the fact that as a child he had had many infectious diseases?

Hello. The frequent incidence of ARVI in adults can be a symptom of more serious health problems. For example, acquired immunodeficiency states, including due to damage to the immune system by chronic recurrent infections - mycoplasma, herpes, etc. Observation by an immunologist is necessary. In childhood, frequent acute respiratory viral infections are the norm, since an intact child essentially teaches the immune system all different forms of respiratory viral infections, the number of which exceeds 100. If the state of the child's immune system is adequate, then short-term SARS without complications, even if there are 6-10 of them per season, are not indicative of immunosuppression.

Hello, what to do when I was in the hospital in the ENT department (with angina), then with my heart (with suspicion of endocarditis), then the tonsils were finally removed (they assured that everything was fine with the throat, it would pass), 3 months passed after the operation, and the state of health has not improved (temperature 37-37.5g. weakness, lamota of the muscles of the joints)? Where to look for a specialist (specialists) who will treat (and not pretend that he is treating)? Can you tell me ...

Vladimir, it is necessary to be re-examined by a therapist to exclude autoimmune pathology, which often occurs after an untreated streptococcal infectious process.

It is necessary to check the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, joints.

Experts from the UK decided to figure out how long the flu virus lives on different surfaces. They conducted a full-scale study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. It turned out that on dense, hard surfaces, such as stainless steel and artificial plastic coating, the virus remains alive for 2 days, and on soft and porous surfaces, it lives from 8 to 12 hours.

Many people often and far more than once a day touch various "microbial" surfaces - steel railings or a desk in an office. In this regard, experts recommend carrying out various activities aimed at cleaning objects. So, regular cleaning with the use of disinfectants, especially in places where there is little steel and plastic, but a lot, for example, wood or stone, is extremely important during a period of high viral activity.

Scientists recommend paying attention to personal hygiene, as well as limiting close contacts, for example, shaking hands, since the virus will live on the hands for an average of 15 minutes - during this time, the likelihood of "delivering" it to the mucous membrane is quite high. Vaccination, as well as the course use of interferon in the form of a gel with vitamin E, is a good prevention of influenza.

When a person ceases to be contagious with ARVI: the incubation period

A person has instincts, and one of them is the subconscious desire to stay away from a person who sneezes and coughs. And this is not without reason, a viral infection is very rapidly transmitted through our respiratory organs.

The source of infection is most often a sick person. Around him in the air there is a huge amount of viruses and bacteria, which the patient himself spreads through coughing and sneezing.

How does ARVI get infected?

• Through the respiratory system
• From a sick person through physical contact (handshake or kiss)
• Through objects and things with which the patient had contact (linen, dishes, doorknobs, etc.)
• Through food from the table at which the patient was sitting, this food can become a source of ARVI.
• Infection can be carried by animals

Infection with ARVI will not always be, it all depends on how strong a person's immunity is. If it is weakened, then the likelihood of catching an infection will be high.

Pathogenesis of the disease in the incubation period

The gate through which the infection enters the human body is the upper respiratory tract.

Viruses attach to epithelial cells, then penetrate into the cytoplasm, which leads to destructive changes in the cell and inflammation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa.

A person infected with the virus begins to feel a pain in the nose, a sore throat. By the symptoms listed below, you can understand that a person is already infected and is a carrier of the infection.

The first stage of infection manifests itself as:

• Nose stitch
• Sore throat
• Runny nose
• Dry cough
• Swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa

At the second stage of infection, the virus enters the bloodstream and then, with the assistance of the circulatory system, spreads throughout the body.

In addition to the manifestations of the first stage, the following symptoms begin:

• Lethargy and weakness
• Headache
• Pulling back pain
• Limb pain
• Temperature increase

Features of the incubation period of influenza in children

The incubation period for influenza depends on the amount of viral particles that have entered the body as a result of infection. The more there are, the shorter the duration.

So in children, the immune system is weaker than in adults and the incubation period is faster.

It can last only one day, sometimes two, it depends on the strength of the immune system, a particular child, it also depends on how old he is.

The number of days during which the patient with ARVI will be contagious

A person who has caught a virus becomes infectious a day before he feels the first symptoms, experts say. Accordingly, if the signs of the disease appeared three days later, after the viruses have entered the body, then the patient can become contagious already at the end of the second day after contact with the patient.

If a person feels the symptoms a day or two after talking to the carrier of the infection, then he becomes the carrier and distributor of the virus in a few hours.

For safety, it is best to start prophylaxis from the very moment of possible infection. There is no need to wait for the appearance of symptoms of the disease in a potential patient, because by that time he may already infect his employees at work or loved ones.

Influenza, which also refers to respiratory infections, is transmitted in the same way as any ARVI virus, but a person usually gets sick with it for more than 7 to 10 days, if there are no complications. During this entire period, the patient is dangerous to others, as he becomes a carrier of the influenza virus.

After all the symptoms of the disease have disappeared, the person remains the carrier of the infection for another two days. If you add up all the days, then the period when a person remains infectious is at least 6 days.

With a complication of the disease, bronchitis, tracheitis, and so on, a person remains a carrier of bacteria until he stops coughing and blowing his nose, that is, releasing dangerous viruses into the environment.

Then you need to take the general period of the illness, with the course of all symptoms, and add 1-2 days before the illness and 2 days after. The general period when the patient is contagious will be 1.5-2 weeks.

One of the simplest methods of infection with ARVI is non-observance of the banal rules of personal hygiene and nutrition. Even if a person has strong immunity that resists viruses well, unwashed hands, poor nutrition, hypothermia, all this can significantly weaken his immunity. This will contribute to the development of dangerous pathogens that will begin to multiply dynamically in the human body.

Rhinoviruses and adenoviruses: how long is the infection period?

The number of days that a patient is a carrier of infection depends on what type of virus he is infected with. Rhinoviruses account for approximately 40% of all cases of viral infections of the respiratory type; they hold the record for infecting the population.

Rhinoviruses include about a hundred different types of microorganisms, all of which can cause infection. Rhinoviruses do not have an outer membrane, they are very small, much smaller than the influenza virus, and therefore it is easier for them to enter the body and infect a person.

If rhinoviruses are the cause of infection, then the period when a person is a carrier of the infection will be more than a week. It is worth adding to this period two days before the onset of symptoms and three days after their disappearance.

Adenoviruses are less common; they account for about 5% of all cases of ARVI infection. These viruses are also very diverse and persist on household items for up to two weeks if the temperature is room temperature. Therefore, when the patient has recovered, then there is the likelihood of re-infection.

After a visible recovery of the patient, adenoviruses can cause the appearance of conjunctivitis, but most often this complication occurs in children.

How many days must pass for the patient to stop being contagious?

Respiratory-type viral infections are very common and are most commonly transmitted through the respiratory tract. The overwhelming majority of people are careless about the methods of protection.

Some people have the misconception that contact with an ARVI patient is dangerous in the first few days after infection, but this is not the case. The patient is contagious throughout the course of the disease, it is necessary to add to this a day before the first symptoms appear and at least two days after their disappearance.

It is very difficult to completely avoid communication with patients who are at the first stage of infection, in which the signs of the disease are not yet very manifested. The biggest risk is in crowded places such as public transport, shops, bus stops, airports, and so on.

How to protect yourself from infection?

• There are drugs that enhance immunity and prevent viruses from entering the body. For example, Forcis, in pill form, helps to protect the mucous membrane from the penetration of harmful bacteria.

This preparation contains cistus extract and ascorbic acid. It is convenient to use in crowded places, as well as at work.

General procedures necessary for the prevention of colds:

• Increased attention to personal hygiene, wash your hands more often after visiting public places
• Avoid areas with a lot of dust, viruses attach to it
• Do not bring unwashed hands to your nose or mouth.
• Refuse eating or drinking that the patient may have come into contact with
• Avoid hypothermia
• To enhance immunity, eat garlic, ginger

If there is a suspicion that you have picked up an infection, then the following precautions must be taken:

• Need to take an aspirin pill
• Drink warm milk before bed
• Eat a teaspoon of honey without drinking it, but simply dissolving it

If you use preventive methods, then with a high probability the viruses will not work on you, and if you suddenly get sick, you will transfer the infection much easier.

How much ARVI is contagious: what do the experts say?

Almost everyone has an instinctive desire to move away from a sneezing, coughing or blowing interlocutor, and for good reason, because viruses that cause respiratory ailments are very quickly transmitted by airborne droplets. But how long should you avoid communicating with a sick person, how infectious is ARVI?

Why and how does ARVI get infected?

Viruses rather quickly move in the air, especially if they have something to "attach" to, for example, on dust particles or tiny droplets of phlegm that a person with a cold gives off when talking or even breathing normally.

A healthy person, being near a sick person, is involuntarily forced to inhale a dangerous "cocktail" of viruses or bacteria. In addition, transmission of infection is possible through household items: doorknobs, towels and any other things that the sick person touched. Fortunately, infection does not occur in all cases, because the immune system quickly destroys pathogens of respiratory ailments.

However, if the number of microorganisms in the air is too high, the body is unable to cope with the increased load, and then the person becomes ill. The first signs of ARVI do not appear immediately, but most often on the second or third day after communicating with the virus carrier.

When does a person who picks up a virus become contagious to others? From the moment the virus enters the body or only when a runny nose, high fever and other characteristic symptoms appear?

How many days is a person with SARS or the flu contagious?

Experts have found that a person who has caught the virus becomes infectious 24 hours before the very first symptoms of the disease are detected. Thus, if signs of a respiratory infection appeared 2.5 days after the introduction of the pathogen into the body, then the sick person could infect those around him, starting from 1.5 days after communicating with the previous carrier of the virus.

If a person falls ill after a day or two after contact with a virus carrier, then he became dangerous to others already several hours after infection.

Mask as a means of preventing disease. How many days after ARVI is a person infectious?

Thus, it is advisable to take preventive protective measures (wearing masks, refusing to communicate with people for whom infection is especially dangerous) from the moment of possible infection. You should not wait for the first signs of the disease, because in this case the person will have time to infect his relatives or colleagues.

To determine how many days a person with ARVI is contagious, one should have an idea of ​​the duration of the course of the specified disease. In most cases, a high fever with accompanying respiratory symptoms persists for 3-5 days. Of course, all this time the patient is the distributor of the virus.

After the disappearance of all symptoms, the person remains dangerous to others for another 1-2 days. Thus, when asked how long ARVI is contagious, it can be answered that this period is at least 6-8 days. And this is only in the absence of complications such as sinusitis, bronchitis and other ailments in which a person continues to cough or blow their nose, releasing many dangerous microorganisms into the surrounding space.

And how infectious is the flu, and not just the SARS virus? In fact, influenza also belongs to the group of respiratory infections, and the pathways of transmission of the causative agent of this disease are the same as when the common cold spreads. A person usually gets sick from 6 to 10 days, and during this entire period he releases dangerous microorganisms into the air.

How many days has a patient with influenza and ARVI been contagious if there are complications for others? Usually it is one or two days before the temperature rises, 6-10 or more days of the illness itself and 1-2 days after. Therefore, the total period can be 8-14 days.

In some cases, the disease can last for two to three weeks, or even longer, for example, with the subsequent development of bronchitis. Accordingly, all this time the sick person remains contagious.

Rhinoviruses and adenoviruses: how long does the infectious period last?

Intending to calculate how many days ARVI is contagious, one should also take into account the type of causative agent of the common cold. So, rhinoviruses are considered to be a kind of "champions" in infecting the population: they make up about 30-40% of all cases of respiratory infections.

In turn, rhinoviruses combine about a hundred types of microorganisms, each of which can cause the common cold. Rhinoviruses themselves do not have their own envelope, i.e. are "naked". Their size is negligible: about four times smaller than the influenza virus, therefore, they easily enter the body.

The incubation period for rhinovirus infection is 2-5 days. Further, a runny nose, severe sneezing, coughing appear, but there may not be an elevated temperature. The average duration of the illness is about 7 days.

How long is the infectious period for ARVI, if rhinoviruses are the causative agent? As a rule, the patient is dangerous to others for more than a week, including 1-2 days before the onset of symptoms and 2-3 days after they disappear.

How many days is a person with ARVI contagious?

Adenoviruses are less common and are responsible for 2.5-5% of all cases of ARVI. They are also quite diverse; they can be stored for a long time in water and on household items. So, the virus can remain viable for two weeks in a room at normal temperatures. Therefore, infection is possible even after the patient has fully recovered, if a thorough cleaning has not been done with the use of cleaning agents.

The incubation period for adenoviruses is longer - 5-7 days, fluctuations from 3 to 14 days are possible.

How many people are infectious with ARVI if the disease is caused by adenoviruses? The duration of the dangerous period is at least a week, but in some cases it can reach a whole month.

In addition to the usual symptoms, adenovirus infection can subsequently become the cause of conjunctivitis, and the symptoms of the disease develop, as a rule, after the patient has apparently recovered. This complication is especially typical for schoolchildren.

After how many days is an ARVI patient not contagious?

Respiratory infections are widespread everywhere, and the airborne method of transmission of dangerous viruses is of considerable importance in the mass infection of people. Many people are not sufficiently aware of the methods of infection, therefore they contact the sick person without applying any protective measures. In addition, there is an opinion that communication with a patient is dangerous only in the first two to three days after the onset of a cold.

In fact, to the question of how contagious a person is with ARVI of any kind and flu, experts give the answer: the entire period of the illness, as well as at least a day before the onset of noticeable symptoms and a couple of days after.

How many days do the symptoms go away and the patient with ARVI is not contagious?

To understand exactly how many days a person remains infectious after ARVI, it should be borne in mind that the virus can remain active on the surface of objects, especially in the presence of moisture. So, when using a damp towel, with which the sick person was previously wiped, infection of other family members is possible even a few days after the person recovers.

The patient can be considered fully recovered three to four days after all symptoms, including coughing or hoarseness, have disappeared. Only after this time he will not be able to infect others, having come to work or being in the company of loved ones.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to avoid contact with people who have noticeable symptoms of a cold. Visiting places such as supermarkets or public transport generally carries a significant risk of infection, as there are many visitors or passengers in the room during the day.

What are some inexpensive cold medications to help speed up your recovery? We will tell you in this article.

Virus protection

How can you protect yourself from infection, because it is impossible to sit locked up in an apartment all autumn and winter, fearing communication with someone? Along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle, preparations containing plant extracts and increasing the body's protective functions in the fight against respiratory ailments will help protect against viruses.

Some funds not only increase immunity, but also block the penetration of ubiquitous viruses into the body. So, the drug Forcis, produced in the form of tablets for subsequent resorption, forms a reliable film on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, impermeable to bacteria and viruses.

A similar effect is achieved due to the presence of cistus extract. Additionally, Forcis contains ascorbic acid, which is indispensable for maintaining immunity at a sufficiently high level.

The tablets have a pleasant taste and light herbal aroma, are very convenient to use, because the drug can be used anywhere: at work before forced communication with sneezing colleagues, and in a minibus with coughing passengers.

prevention of colds, how many days a patient with influenza and ARVI is contagious

In order to drastically minimize the likelihood of infection, you should also pay attention to hygiene: never touch your face with unwashed hands, especially your nose or lips. It is better to give up office tea drinking if the people sitting next to the table sniff and cough.

Hands should be washed as often as possible - this will mechanically remove viruses that have got on the palm of your hand while in any public place. In this case, the risk of getting a cold will be low, and if, moreover, you dress for the weather and do not overcool, you can completely forget about the unpleasant fall-winter ailment.

How long does the flu virus live?

Influenza virus is a representative of RNA-containing viruses from the family of orthomyxoviruses, causing acute damage to various parts of the respiratory tract. It is transmitted by airborne droplets and by contact. An infectious agent is capable of causing pandemics, and given the possibility of a severe course and the development of complications, it is not surprising that many are interested not only in the route of transmission and clinical manifestations.

How long does the flu virus live in the air, on clothes, in a person? How long does a flu virus last indoors? What to do to reduce the chance of infection?

The information provided will help you get answers to these and other questions.

Influenza virus: how long does it live in the external environment?

How long the influenza virus lives outside the body, in the external environment depends on the temperature and humidity of the surrounding air.

Despite the fact that at subzero temperatures the influenza virus lives for years, and at -70 not only lives, but also retains virulence (the ability to infect), in general it is not very stable.

How does the pathogen spread?

The causative agent of the infection enters the air together with a suspension of saliva and catarrhal secretions, which are thrown out when sneezing and coughing. The infection spreads up to 3.5 meters. If it is not possible to isolate the patient, he needs to wear a mask that would trap drops of mucus and saliva; the mask needs to be changed every 2-3 hours.

The mask is unable to filter out the pathogen that has already entered the air - for this, its pores are too large. Therefore, wearing it to healthy people for preventive purposes is irrational.

Another way of spreading the flu is through contact. Previously, not too much attention was paid to it, but in recent years this transmission route has become more and more relevant, especially in the city, with a large overcrowding of the population. The infection gets on the patient's skin when sneezing and coughing, if he covers his mouth with his palm, after he wipes his nose with his fingers, or if he blows his nose outside a handkerchief. Further, drops of mucus, saliva remaining on the hands, together with the viral particles contained in them, which remain active on the skin for up to 15 hours, fall on any objects that the sick person touches.

Handrails in public transport, handles for baskets and carts in supermarkets, money, doorknobs in the office - this is where the flu virus lives during an epidemic, remaining virulent for up to two days on plastic and metal objects. From these objects, particles of biological fluids, along with the source of infection, are transferred to the skin of other people, for whom it is enough to scratch their nose, rub their eyes, eat something with their hands (bread, cookies, etc.) so that the infection gets on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and begins develop. "Conscious" people who do not want to become a source of infection can sneeze and cough in the bend of the elbow, it is desirable to teach children to do the same.

To protect yourself from the contact path of transmission of the pathogen, it is recommended not only to wash your hands, but also to use antiseptic wipes or gels during the day. This is especially true for children who regularly lick their fingers, bite their nails, etc. How long the flu virus lives on objects outside of a person will be described in more detail later.

How long does the flu virus live indoors?

Or how long does the flu virus last in the apartment?

Several hours at a temperature of 22 degrees.

But in the refrigerator, where the temperature is usually maintained at about +4 degrees, it can remain viable for a week. Therefore, you do not need to store uneaten food in the refrigerator.

The resistance of the pathogen increases with decreasing air humidity. In dried form, it can be stored for several days. That is why the air in the room where the patient is located must be humidified: turn on a special device, hang wet sheets, terry towels on the batteries, arrange vessels with water. The room itself needs to be ventilated - just ventilated, and not slightly open the window - every two to three hours for at least half an hour. Such ventilation can reduce the concentration of the infectious agent in the air by 80-90%.

The pathogen is sensitive to the action of disinfection solutions, so it is necessary to do wet cleaning with their use twice a day. But vacuuming, on the contrary, is not recommended: most of the filters used in the vacuum cleaner do not trap viruses, while the air jet emanating from them again disperses the infection in the air.

If your home has an ultraviolet lamp, it is ideal for decontaminating a room.

How long does the flu virus live on things?

On objects such as dishes, the infectious agent lives up to 10 days. On the fabric: towels, handkerchiefs - the infection can persist up to 11 days.

The patient needs to have separate dishes. It also needs to be washed separately. If the family uses a dishwasher, choose a mode in which the water is heated to a temperature of at least 60 degrees. At this temperature, the maximum that the influenza virus lasts is 10 minutes.

The patient should have a separate towel that should be kept in his room. In the same way, you cannot put his clothes, handkerchiefs, bed linen with the belongings of the rest of the family. It is possible to wash together with all things at a temperature of 60 degrees, but if the composition of the fabric does not allow this, the items must be washed separately.

Summary

Thus, the resistance of the influenza virus in the external environment is low. How long does the flu virus live outside the body: in the air, on things, depends on:

• on the ambient temperature: the higher, the shorter the lifetime, at room temperature - several hours;
• from air humidity - when dry, in dust, it lives longer;
• from the presence of sources of ultraviolet radiation: under UV rays dies instantly.
• from the surface material: on paper up to 12 hours, on metal or plastic up to 2 days, on glass up to 10 days, on fabric - up to 11.
• the pathogen remains on the skin for up to 15 hours.

How long does the flu virus live in the human body?

You need to start by asking how long the influenza virus lives in the body - in a person - before clinical manifestations of the disease first appear. The incubation period of the disease can last from several hours to a week. All this time, the infection not only lives, but also actively multiplies in the cells of the epithelium of the respiratory tract, so a person becomes infectious already at this time.

Like all viruses, the pathogen itself does not have a cellular structure and is unable to synthesize the substances it needs to exist, let alone multiply independently. Therefore, it penetrates into the cell, integrates into its structures, and the cell begins to synthesize new viruses. Having fulfilled its function, the cell dies, releasing both new sources of infection and toxic substances formed during synthesis. Neighboring cells are infected, and then the process grows like an avalanche.

The disease begins acutely: the state of health rapidly deteriorates, weakness, dizziness, headache appear, the temperature rises rapidly to and above, blood pressure drops. The patient can indicate the time of the disease with an accuracy of literally an hour. This feature of the course of the disease gave it its name (in French grippe means "grab, squeeze"). There are pains in the muscles of the limbs, lower back, aches when moving the eyeballs.

Damage to the epithelium of the trachea leads to a painful cough without discharge. It is characteristic that in the first 2-3 days of the disease there is not a runny nose as such, there is only nasal congestion, no phlegm when coughing. That is why doctors of the old school called this disease "dry catarrh" (catarrhal inflammation - inflammation with mucous discharge). By the time nasal discharge appears, the temperature has already dropped to subfebrile numbers, in mild cases of the disease it disappears altogether. A second round of fever or a prolonged course of it may mean the appearance of bacterial complications.

During illness, the permeability of blood vessels increases, which can manifest itself as nosebleeds and hemorrhages under the wall of the mucous membrane ("crimson trachea"), the development of hemorrhagic pneumonia (caused by the sweating of blood into the alveoli). Therefore, in case of influenza, in no case should the temperature be "brought down" with aspirin or any combined means based on acetylsalicylic acid, which reduces blood clotting. This increases the likelihood of developing hemorrhagic pulmonary edema.

All this time, the patient is actively releasing an infectious agent into the environment. It is especially contagious in the first three days of illness.

With a mild course of the disease, the symptoms disappear in 7-12 days. Virus shedding usually lasts for a week. With a complicated course of influenza, the patient remains contagious for up to two weeks from the onset of the disease.

Thus, how many days does the flu virus live in the human body:

Therefore, the lifespan of the influenza virus is up to 21 days.

How to avoid infection

First of all, during an epidemic, you need to limit contact with people as much as possible. Of course, this does not mean that you need to stop going to work or school. But it is better to postpone visiting entertainment events: cinema, concerts, performances until the end of the epidemic. You should also not use shopping centers as a place for recreational leisure; it is better to change them to open skating rinks, a ski track or an ordinary walk. Despite how long the influenza virus lives at freezing temperatures, its concentration in the outdoor air is practically zero. The main thing is not to overcool.

• If the place of work or study is not too far away, it is better to dress for the weather and get there on foot, instead of collecting the infection on public transport. In addition, an active walk will help strengthen the immune and cardiovascular systems.
• For your own peace of mind, you can use a mask in transport and at work, but it becomes effective for the prevention of infection only when the patient is wearing it. The best thing to do, though, is to convince a colleague to go on sick leave.
• You need to wean yourself from the habit of touching your face with your hands, rubbing your nose and eyes. After transport, shop, before eating, be sure to wash your hands, or, if this is not possible, treat them with an antiseptic gel.
• Back home, you can rinse your nose with saline or special sprays. This will not only mechanically remove some of the infectious agents from the mucous membrane, but also moisturize it.
• Both the home and workplace need to be ventilated to reduce the concentration of the virus in the room.
• In order for the mucous membrane to fully fulfill its protective functions, it is necessary to constantly humidify the air in the room, preventing the formation of dry crusts in the nose.
• The general condition of the body can improve good nutrition, adherence to the daily regimen, and the intake of multivitamin complexes.

conclusions

How long the flu virus lives in a room, remains on objects, will depend on the temperature and humidity of the air, as well as the material of the surface. A person becomes infectious from the beginning of the incubation period until the end of the disease, which in the worst case can be three weeks from the moment of infection.

To prevent infection, it is necessary to observe the daily regimen, avoiding overwork, to be more often in the fresh air, avoiding large crowds of people, to carefully pay attention to personal hygiene and hygiene of the premises in which you have to be.

Additional strengthening of the body's defenses can be facilitated by dosed physical activity, proper nutrition, and, if necessary, taking vitamin and mineral complexes.

Infectious diseases are an urgent problem in medical practice faced by specialists at all levels. Newborns, schoolchildren, adolescents and adults quite often fall ill with infectious diseases, the causative agents of which are viruses, bacteria, fungi and other microbes. Viruses are considered one of the most common infectious agents. Pathogens enter the body in various ways and destroy living cells. How long a viral infection lasts depends to a large extent on the agent that caused the infection.

Features of the course of diseases caused by viruses

The disease includes several phases (stages):

• Contact with an infected person, product, air. You can get infected by airborne droplets, through infected food, air. Contact with an infectious agent is called adsorption of the virus into the cell.
• The incubation period (latent, latent phase). The pathogenic agent acts on the body, reducing the general adaptive mechanisms of disease resistance. There are no pronounced symptoms, but with colds during the incubation period, the patient develops a sore throat.
• Prodroma are the first harbingers of the disease. The prodromal stage includes the time interval from the first manifestations of infection to pronounced signs of the clinical picture. It is characterized by general signs of malaise - runny nose, dry or wet cough, weakness of the body.
• The height or development of the disease. At this stage, symptoms characteristic of a particular viral disease appear, with an inflammatory process, the base body temperature rises. With a complicated course, dangerous signs may join - crisis, collapse, coma.
• The stage of the outcome of the disease - depending on the severity of the disease, the timely visit to the doctor and the effectiveness of the chosen treatment regimen for the patient, complete recovery, incomplete recovery, relapse, remission, complication or death occurs.

Most viral infections are easy to treat and resolve quickly. For example, ARVI or ARI, which are promptly treated with effective antiviral drugs, last from several hours to three to five days. The duration of a viral infection is considered from contact with the source of infection until complete recovery. It should be borne in mind that some patients stop infecting others, continuing to get sick, or, on the contrary, having completely recovered from the infection, can infect someone.

Duration of the incubation period

The incubation period of a viral infection is understood as the time interval from the moment of infection with an infectious agent to the manifestation of clinical signs / symptoms of the disease - the prodrome. Since the virus spreads in the body at different rates of cell damage, the incubation period for colds localized in the respiratory tract is three hours. Complex generalized infections are characterized by a long incubation period - the virus takes a long time to reach the target organ after entering the body and cause clinical manifestations of the disease.

How long a viral infection lasts at the stage of the incubation period depends on the causative agent of the disease. Table 1 shows the incubation periods for how long a viral infection lasts before the onset of symptoms characteristic of a particular disease.

Table 1. Incubation period of viral infectious diseases

With a viral infection, signs can appear in a few hours - flu, rhinovirus disease, intestinal damage. The short incubation period allows you to quickly identify the causative agent of the infection and begin treatment at an early stage. At the same time, such serious diseases as tuberculosis do not manifest themselves for a long time, the virus is in a latent state in the body, and replication begins with a strong decrease in the immune defense.

The infectiousness of the patient depends on the type of virus, so it is important to limit the patient's contact with people around him. If the incubation period is more than 5 days, we can talk about any viral infection. Since the latent phase is hidden, an accurate diagnosis can be made when characteristic symptoms appear and the area of ​​localization of viruses in the patient's body is determined - the respiratory tract, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract.

Duration of illness: how long the temperature lasts and how many people are contagious

An increase in body temperature is considered one of the main signs of various diseases. Fever indicates the onset of an inflammatory process in the patient's body, which reacts to foreign cells with an increase in temperature. Depending on the disease, it can stay in the body for several hours or days with a viral infection with periodic drops and an increase in the value on the thermometer. Temperature for the most common diseases of viral origin:

• SARS - three to five days in children, two to three days - an increased value in adults, after which the temperature returns to normal. Colds are characterized by a gradual rise in temperature.
• Infection with adenovirus infection is accompanied by an insignificant (subfebrile) temperature in the range of 37-37.5 ° C. In children, there is a duration of 7-10 days, in adults 39 ° C and above - several days, a decline.
• Influenza is characterized by a sharp increase in temperature, which is poorly confused by antipyretic drugs, can exceed 39-39.5 ° C, fever lasts up to seven days in children and adults.

A great danger is a long-term elevated temperature - from five days. In this case, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic, which is completely useless for any viral infection, but is necessary to eliminate the associated bacterial infection. Therefore, it is very important to timely and accurately diagnose the patient - viral diseases are treated with antiviral drugs, not antibiotics.

The danger is a drop in temperature for several days with a repeated increase in it to high marks. The reason is a complication after an illness, ineffective treatment, incomplete recovery of the patient. In this regard, it should be noted that patients with a viral infection can become carriers of the disease for others. How many people are contagious with a viral infection depends on the pathogen and the disease - the data are shown in Table 1.

It should be noted that in almost all common viral diseases, the patient is contagious from five days until he recovers himself, and remains the carrier of the infection after his own recovery. An exception is mumps (mumps), in which the patient, after recovery, cannot infect anyone.

Important: the data on the duration of the patient's infection given in Table 1 are indicated by the minimum value. In some diseases, the carrier of the pathogen in the body of a recovered patient persists for months. Infection is counted from the beginning of the incubation period, that is, in the absence of pronounced clinical symptoms in the latent phase, the patient can already infect the surrounding people.

SARS, colds, acute respiratory infections

Acute respiratory viral infection accompanies a person from childhood, actively manifesting itself with the onset of cold weather. The disease does not pose special threats to health if it is promptly cured. In advanced cases, the duration of ARVI exceeds ten days and can develop into pneumonia with shortness of breath and oxygen deprivation. Localization of ARVI - respiratory tract, nose, trachea.

Since ARVI is transmitted by airborne droplets, no one is immune from infection, especially for children with weak immunity. What you need to know about respiratory viral disease:

• There are about 250 agents-pathogens that cause viral infections, so the list of ARVI includes influenza, parainfluenza, rhinovirus, adenovirus and many other diseases that are commonly called colds.
• Each of the viruses can participate in the infection independently, but sometimes other pathogens join the agents. Against the background of immunity weakened by the disease, a bacterial infection can develop, which significantly increases the duration and complexity of ARVI.
• How long a viral infection with ARVI lasts depends on the severity of the disease, the presence of concomitant diseases, and the effectiveness of treatment. Influenza as a viral infection in children and adults in mild form lasts 7-10 days, in moderate and severe form - at least a month.
• Acute respiratory disease parainfluenza lasts 7-10 days, but the cough is delayed for two weeks, adenovirus infection with a mild course of the disease lasts no more than 10 days, metapneumovirus - 4-12 days, enterovirus - 7-10 days, coronavirus - 3-4 days, reoviral - 5-7 days.

It should be noted that viral diseases in young children and adult patients are approximately the same in duration, but a child may be ill for two to three days longer due to an insufficiently formed immune defense function. Clinical signs in children are more acute, the febrile state is rapidly changing. If the child's temperature reaches 39 ° C, persists, does not get confused by antipyretic drugs, you need to immediately call an ambulance.

Rhinovirus infection

The defeat of the nasal mucosa is a manifestation of a rhinovirus infection or, simply, a "contagious rhinitis". Viral agents enter the patient's body through the nose, a local inflammatory reaction of the mucous membrane occurs with possible vasodilation, edema, swelling of the lymph nodes, in children, the disease can attack the respiratory tract, larynx, bronchi. In medical practice, it is most often found in children under the age of five. Features of the course of a cold:

• The duration of the incubation period of a viral infection in adults does not exceed seven days, but on average is 1-3 days.
• The main syndrome is a pronounced runny nose, concomitant symptoms of the prodromal period - slight malaise, nasal congestion.
• The duration of the fever - the temperature is subfebrile, low, lasts 2-3 days, the patient's condition is satisfactory.
• How many days does a viral infection take when infected with a rhinovirus? As a rule, 7 days of clinical manifestations, the duration of the disease is up to 14 days.

Complications with rhinovirus infection usually do not occur, the patient is prescribed symptomatic treatment. It is extremely rare that sinusitis, bronchitis, otitis media join the infection. The disease does not lead to a sharp deterioration in well-being, does not cause serious concern due to the rapid recovery of the patient.

Adenovirus infection

If the causative agent enters the upper respiratory tract, affects the tonsils, the disease is accompanied by conjunctivitis, it is likely that the patient has an adenovirus infection. This is a ubiquitous disease, which is characteristic of the cold season, often occurs in children who attend preschool educational institutions, but adults are not immune from the disease either. Key points of the course of the disease and how long this viral infection lasts:

• Duration - from several days to a week, with a relapse it is possible up to two to three weeks.
• The pathogen enters the patient's body through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, penetrating the bronchi and small intestine, where it multiplies.
• The incubation period lasts 1 day - 2 weeks, on average - from five to eight days, accompanied by signs of intoxication.
• Subfebrile temperature is observed for 5-7 days, rarely the indicator reaches 38-39 degrees.
• On the second or third day from the moment of illness, the patient experiences pain in the eyes and severe lacrimation.

In some cases, the disease manifests itself as complications in the ear, throat and nose, possibly the development of adenoviral pneumonia. The likely consequences of the disease are purulent sinusitis, typical otitis media, kidney damage and secondary bacterial pneumonia.

Parainfluenza

Acute respiratory viral infection with parainfluenza occurs as a result of infection with four groups of viruses with damage to the upper or lower respiratory tract of the patient. Parainfluenza is easily confused with the common cold. The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets, through touching infected surfaces, and then - to the mucous membranes. You can become infected with a parainfluenza viral infection through contact with a sick person. How many days do the disease phases last:

• The patient becomes infectious on the last day of the incubation period.
• The infectiousness of the patient lasts 5-9 days from the onset of the disease.
• The incubation period for infection is 3-4 days.
• A subfebrile temperature of up to 38 degrees remains for several days.
• The total duration of the disease usually does not exceed 7 days.

Infection with parainfluenza viruses is difficult to diagnose; in most cases, adult patients with strong immunity transfer the disease quickly and without drug treatment. For some time after the illness, the recovered patient remains susceptible to microbial pathogenic flora.

Flu

Influenza of three types is considered a dangerous and widespread viral disease - A, B and C. The duration and complexity of the disease is determined by the causative agent. How many days a viral infection lasts also depends on the source of the disease - the infection is transmitted from a person with obvious or erased signs of the disease by airborne droplets. Duration over time:

• The incubation period is short - from 12 hours to 3 days. The more viruses enter the body and the lower the immunity, the shorter the incubation period.
• The prodromal stage is characterized by fever, malaise, and joint pain.
• The acute development of the disease lasts 2-4 days, accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature above 39 degrees.
• The total duration of the flu is about 10 days, they get sick with a viral infection, the residual effects last up to several weeks - cough, sore throat.

Influenza is considered a dangerous disease, there are outbreaks of viral infection every two to three years, which worsen the epidemiological indicators. Complications of viral influenza occur in the absence of proper timely treatment - lung abscess, pneumonia, myocarditis, otitis media, sinusitis, meningitis, encephalitis, toxic-allergic shock. Such consequences can be fatal. It is important to know exactly the length of the incubation period in order to timely start treatment with antiviral drugs.

Intestinal flu

The combination of an acute onset of the disease with severe catarrhal symptoms is a distinctive feature of intestinal flu caused by viral agents. How many days a viral infection lasts depends on the severity of the disease - mild, moderate or severe. In order to take timely measures, you need to determine the main time frame for the development of the disease:

• Mild form - the total duration of the disease is up to one week, with an average form, the duration of the disease is 7-14 days, with a severe form, the patient is placed in a hospital, the duration of the disease is from two weeks.
• The incubation period depends on the immune defense. With strong immunity, the latent phase rarely exceeds 5-6 hours, with a weakened immune response, the incubation period lasts up to five days.
• Intestinal flu (rotavirus) is initially accompanied by a runny nose, sneezing, sore throat. A cough appears every other day, diarrhea lasts 3-5 days, vomiting occurs up to five times a day.
• The feverish state in children with rotavirus lasts three to five days, and the temperature can reach a dangerous 39 degrees. After a week, patients are recovering if intestinal flu is correctly diagnosed and effective drug treatment is chosen.

It is extremely important: as soon as a viral intestinal flu is established for signs of illness, the patient should be isolated from the team for at least ten days, since the virus is quite dangerous, infectious and tenacious. For rotavirus to pass quickly, the viral infection should last no more than three to five days with effective treatment of the patient.

Table 2 shows data on the duration of common viral infections.

Table 2. Time frames of phases and duration of different types of ARVI

Any viral infection should be considered a serious illness with dangerous consequences. In a child, after ARVI, complications can turn into pneumonia, which is much more difficult to treat than a cold. Complex forms of the disease in adult patients also occur with certain complications. It is strongly discouraged to endure the flu "on your feet", to give up taking antiviral drugs and antipyretics, since influenza complications every year lead to the death of thousands of patients around the world.