Viral fever is fever and a resultant infection caused by a virus. Viral infections tend to be very contagious and often spread rapidly. One of the biggest symptoms of viral infection is body ache which tends to be very severe and debilitating. Strains of viruses that could lead to fever are many and growing every year. Medical science is trying its best to cope with every new strain and contain viral fevers with antibiotics.
Let’s look at what causes viral infection.
The primary cause of viral fever is an infection caused by the virus. The virus is spread from one person to the other through various means such as eating contaminated food, or drinking contaminated water or being in very close contact with a person suffering from the infection.
Depending on the type of infection and the degree of the spread, the healing and recovery time will vary. In the last few years swine flu or the H1N1 virus has gained popularity for spreading rapidly.
In most cases though the fever comes down and goes away quickly, other symptoms like body ache and sore throat are known to prolong for a longer period of time. Let’s look at what the symptoms will be like in babies and adults alike.
The symptoms of viral fever in babies and children can be different from the symptoms of viral fever in adults.
The symptoms of viral fever in babies are usually fever and runny nose. In babies sometimes it becomes difficult to identify the reason for the fever. Unless a viral test or culture is not done, viral fever should not be easily ruled out. Babies do not always get viral fever as opposed to children who are more likely to catch it from other children. To keep babies infection free, limit their exposure to sick people in the first three to four months of their lives.
The symptoms in adults include runny nose, sore throat, cough, body ache, soreness, diarrhea, vomiting and upset tummy. The degree of severity of the symptoms can vary based on how serious the attack is. Body ache tends to linger the longest in viral infections.
While antibiotics are usually prescribed for bacterial fevers, they do not have any effect on viral fevers. Therefore, the treatment of viral fevers and infections usually include certain over the counter medicines like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, which controls the body ache and fever.
In fact, the treatment of viral fever is aimed at alleviating the symptoms that are associated with the condition. There are some people who try to reduce the fever and body aches in children, by giving them aspirin. However, while aspirin may work on adults, without any negative side effects, it should never be given to children, since it can lead to a disorder called Reye’s syndrome, which has the potential to be fatal.
In fact most pediatricians and health experts recommend that treating a viral fever in children as well as adults interferes with the body’s natural immune response. However, a viral or bacterial fever and body aches during pregnancy should be monitored by a doctor carefully.
Most home remedies for viral infection and viral fever involve making the patient feel comfortable till the infection subsides. Viral infections do not always react to antibiotics so doctors suggest just riding out the infection. In such cases, it becomes important to make the patient as comfortable as possible.
If your fever does not come down in three-four days, it might be time for urgent medical action. Remember, medical attention is a must in case the baby is affected by fever. Do not self medicate in such cases.