LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: viruses

  • Prevention Called Key to Heading Off COVID, Cold, Flu

    Prevention Called Key to Heading Off COVID, Cold, Flu

    Mary Schuermann Kuhlman and Public News Service

    Whether it’s COVID-19, the seasonal flu or a cold, health-care professionals say reducing your risk of illness starts with prevention.

    All three respiratory diseases are caused by viruses and share similar symptoms including a cough, sore throat and runny nose.

    Elena Roach, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner for The Healthcare Connection, a Cincinnati-area federally qualified health center, said actions we take to prevent the spread of COVID can reduce the risk of getting a cold or the flu.

    “Flu is spread from respiratory secretions, kind of like COVID,” Roach explained. “And you sneeze and cough and eat and drink and talk, flu can spread that way as well.”

    Roach pointed out last year’s mild flu season was the result of precautions taken during the pandemic. Those steps include avoiding close contact with people outside your household, frequent handwashing, and wearing a face mask while in indoor public places.

    Ohio’s daily COVID case count has nearly doubled in two months, now at roughly 7,200. Influenza activity still is low, but starting to rise.

    COVID spreads more easily than the flu and common cold and causes more serious illnesses, but Roach noted much like COVID, an infected person can spread the flu before they feel sick.

    “The flu is contagious even before symptoms start for about four days,” Roach emphasized. “And then for people who have been around somebody with the flu, like living in close quarters or close contact, symptoms can usually start within a week after contact.”

    A test can determine whether an illness is COVID or the seasonal flu, and Roach recommended calling a health-care provider if you are experiencing fever, body chills and other respiratory symptoms.

    “The good thing about the flu is that there is a treatment for the flu called Tamaflu,” Roach advised. “And as long as you start that within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms, it reduces your symptoms and the longevity of the course of the illness. “

    She said you can boost your protection from both illnesses by getting vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who are vaccinated and become infected with flu or COVID experience fewer symptoms and are much less likely to be hospitalized.

    References:  

    COVID-19 Dashboard Ohio Dept. of Health 2021
    Flu Dashboard Ohio Dept. of Health 2021
    Flu information CDC 12/20/2021
    COVID-19 information CDC 02/22/2021

  • Public Advised Not to Enter Little Miami River South of Old 3C Highway Until Further Notice

    Public Advised Not to Enter Little Miami River South of Old 3C Highway Until Further Notice

    Loveland, Ohio – The Warren County Health District has been notified of a breach in a sewer main by the Warren County Water & Sewer Department and the Ohio Environmental Health Association in the area of Socialville-Foster Road and Old 3C Highway.

    Loveland is downstream of where the raw sewage is entering the Little Miami River.

    As a precautionary measure, the Warren County Health District is advising citizens not to enter or fish in the Little Miami River south of Old 3C Highway in Warren County until the sewer breach has been repaired. The Warren County Health District will be conducting testing of the Little Miami River to identify potential increases in bacteria.

    There are increased health risks associated with coming into contact with wastewater. Parasites, viruses, and bacteria can cause a range of conditions including; diarrhea, dysentery, gastroenteritis and hepatitis A.

    To prevent the spread of disease the Warren County Health District is advising the public not to enter the water until the breach has been corrected.

    Swallowing a small amount of contaminated wastewater or having contaminated wastewater come in contact with an open wound, may make you sick.

    The symptoms can range from mild to severe. If you have diarrhea, the most important thing you can do is to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. This is especially important for young children, pregnant women, and persons with weakened immune systems (such as those living with HIV/AIDS, those who have received an organ transplant, or those receiving certain types of chemotherapy).

    Seek medical care immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:

    •   your diarrhea is bloody or diarrhea isn’t improving after 3 days
    •   your diarrhea is accompanied by fever or chills
    •   you are dehydrated (signs of dehydration include: dry or “cottony” mouth, cracked lips, dry

    flushed skin, headache, irritability, not urinating at least four times a day, no tears when crying, not sweating, or confusion)

     

    A health care provider may prescribe medicine to help replace the fluids your body has lost because of the diarrhea. In some cases, over-the-counter medications can slow the diarrhea.

    The Warren County Health District will notify the public with additional information as needed. The public will be updated when the precautionary measures are lifted via media release.