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Viral Fever – Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Treatment

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Every year, we go through season changes. And every year, we risk falling sick from viral fever, which usually happens when it gets hot from cold or cold from hot. This type of fever causes high body temperature, and if you contract it, you might complain of cough, cold, and severe body ache as well. This illness, caused by the influenza virus, may be common, but must not be taken lightly as the health condition can worsen. Let’s learn more about this disease, its symptoms, and how it can be prevented. And keep a comprehensive health insurance plan handy as well.

What is viral fever?

Usually, a body temperature of 98.6°F is considered normal, and anything higher than 100.4°F is supposed to be a fever. In case, you have flu or cold, your body temperature rises due to viral infection.

These people have started self-medicating instead of seeking expert help, which makes them even more vulnerable to multiple complications when they suffer from viral fever.

What is the indicator of viral fever?

In simple terms, fever is your body’s immune response to disease-causing pathogens such as bacteria and viruses. Every time your immune system detects anyincoming foreign bodies, it triggers an immune response that increases the body’s temperature. The body temperature, for both adults and children, is checked in the oral, rectum and tympanic membrane.If the temperature in any of these areas is higher than 100.4°F, it indicates a viral fever.

What are the symptoms?

The signs and symptoms of viral fever depend on the kind of infection and can differ from person to person. Some of the common symptoms are:

• High fever which can go up to 103-104°F

• Headache

• Chills

• Sweating

• Runny nose or nasal congestion

• Muscle aches and pains

• Dehydration

• Loss of appetite

• Sore throat

• Nausea/vomiting

• Weakness & Fatigue

• Diarrhoea and abdominal pain

What Causes Viral Fever?

When our body gets infected with a virus, it tries to fight off the virus and that’s when we get fever. The causes of viral fever can be many, such as:

• Inhaling the virus-containing droplets from an infected person. This happens when an infected person coughs or sneezes near you and you breathe in the virus. One example of that is common cold.

• Consuming contaminated foods or drinks can cause viral fever too. Enterovirus and norovirus are a couple of examples here.

• Sharing foods or drinks with somebody who has been infected with the virus can be risky as well.

• Exchanging bodily fluids with an infected person can lead to this fever. HIV and hepatitis B are examples of the same.

• Bites of insects/mosquitoes can transmit the virus to humans. An example of that is dengue.

What are the types of viral fever?

Based on the area it affects, viral fever can be classified under the following types:

1. Respiratory viral fever

When your respiratory tract gets affected by a virus, usually its upper or lower part, it is a respiratory viral disease. Some common respiratory viral infections are:

• Flu

• Common cold

• Coryza

• Viral bronchitis

• Laryngitis

• Viruses

• Rhinovirus

• Adenovirus infection

• Para-influenza virus infection

• Respiratory syncytial virus infection

• Measles

• Polio

The COVID-19 infection caused by the coronavirus also comes under this category.

2. Viral enteritis

The digestive tract is affected by the virus in this case. Gastrointestinal viral fever is also known as Stomach Flu. It often leads to a health condition called Gastroenteritis.

The following are some common infections of gastrointestinal virus:

• Rotavirus infection

 

• Adenovirus infection

• Norovirus infection

• Astrovirus infection

3. Exanthematous viral fever

In addition to causing fever, if the viral infections affect the skin, it is termed as Exanthematous viral infections. Some common Exanthematous infections include:

• Measles

• Chickenpox

• Rubella (German measles)

• Roseola

These appear in the form of skin eruptions and rashes, which last for days before they subside and heal by scab formations. These infections mostly occur in children but are not restricted to them. Timely and proper vaccination can help prevent them.

4. Hemorrhagic viral fever

There are few viruses that can create life-threatening situations by bleeding manifestations, and such a family of viruses is named a hemorrhagic virus. They usually raise your body temperature to high levels.

This type of infection affects your blood vessels and platelets leads to internal bleeding. Some viral fevers that belong to this category are:

• Ebola

• Dengue

• Yellow fever

5. Neurologic viral fever

When the virus infects Central nervous system, is called a neurotropic virus and such viruses cause neurological infections.

Some common infections of such kind are:

• Encephalitis

• Meningitis

• HIV

• Rabies

How to diagnose viral fever?

Just by analyzing viral fever symptoms, it cannot be detected.There are many reasons that trigger the fever in your body. Various diagnosis methods are vital to detect that you have a viral fever.

Since the symptoms of bacterial and viral infections are quite similar, doctors usually try to rule out bacterial infections to diagnose viral infections. They do this by analyzing your medical history and symptoms. They also take samples (blood, urine, sputum, etc.) from you and send them for tests, for instance, the blood test, urine test and swab test.

If no bacteria has been detected in the above samples, it may be concluded that the individual may be diagnosed with viral the infection. They also conduct a test to verify the presence of the virus by recommending tests such as rapid influenza diagnostic tests. Blood, sputum and urine tests are also conducted to prove the presence of the virus in your body.

Viral fever treatments

The first step in treating a viral fever is to focus on reducing the symptoms of viral fever. In most cases, you may not require any treatment for viral fever as your body fights against the virus and recovers on its own. But,if a person’s condition does not improve within 3-4 days, the person needs to be treated for viral fever.

Home remedies for viral fever

During viral fever, body sweats a lot and can lead to dehydration. So, it is important to keep your body hydrated. Apart from normal drinking water, you can intake:

• Fresh juice

• Broths

• Soups

• Decaffeinated tea

• Coconut water

For babies and toddlers, you can depend on specialised drinks with electrolytes. Rest is very important because viral fever is a sign that your body works hard to fight infections, in such cases, you do not want to strain your body any further.

You can also have the following food items that prove to be effective during a viral fever:

• Coriander tea

• Honey and lime juice

• Tulsi leaves in hot water

• Ginger tea

Ways to Prevent Viral fever Infections

• Maintain personal hygiene such as frequent washing of hands, disinfecting surfaces, sanitizing hands, avoid touching your face or nose, avoid sharing foods and personal belongings with others, avoid getting in contact with people who are ill, etc.

• Get vaccinated as recommended by your doctor. This is applicable for adults too.

• Eat healthy. Try to have warm food because there are chances of virus growing in cold or at normal temperatures.

• Use mosquito nets, repellents, and try to wear clothes that cover your body completely. This will help protect you from mosquito bites that can cause dengue.

If required, consult a doctor for timely diagnosis and treatment.

Viral Fever Treatment

Unlike bacterial infections, viral fever doesn’t respond to antibiotics. There’s no specific treatment,and usually the treatment focuses on managing the symptoms, such as:

• Medications like paracetamol or ibuprofen can reduce fever, aches and pains

• Drinking plenty of fluids can prevent dehydration

• Taking rest as much as possible is recommended

• Taking anti-viral medications can help whenever required

• Lukewarm baths can help treat muscle aches, pains

Conclusion

Most viral fevers go away on their own within a couple of days. However, if your fever hits the 103 degrees mark or more, you should see a doctor. Take plenty of rest, eat healthy and follow your doctor’s advice. Make sure your health insurance plan is updated and active if you need to be hospitalised for any complications due to the viral infection.

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