Thread: Painkillers spread the flu.

From New Scientist 25 January 2014 page 12


It appears that high temperatures, called fever, in the human body are a method of killing flu virus. Painkillers like paracetamol act to reduce fever. In this way, it encourages the virus. A 1982 study on ferrets showed that lowering temperature caused them to produce more flu virus.

A mathematical model suggested that the use of painkillers to reduce fever is increasing flu transmission by 5%. This would translate in up to 2,000 extra deaths each year in the USA alone.

The suggestion is that paracetamol and aspirin for flu should be used conservatively.

The suggestion is that paracetamol and aspirin for flu should be used conservatively.

And the biggest problem here is that many people use such medications so that they can "soldier on" despite being so obviously sick. (Fever - on top of feeling miserable - is a pretty good indicator that you, yourself, the person in the mirror is, in fact, quite ill.)

And all those idiots who suck down medications and cough lollies at work all day want a super size medal for their dedication and commitment ggrrrrrhh when they come into a workplace where they might have contact with dozens or even hundreds of people. And they work in an air conditioned environment where their virus affected breath will hang around in the building for days if not weeks. They also are inclined to sneer at people who take a day or a week of sick leave when they proudly claim not to be weak or dishonest or lazy like those detestable slackers.

For the sake of feeling superior or brave or strong, such people can devastate a workplace. I can remember coming into work and waiting for a lift with hardly anybody around. This was in our busiest time of the year - in most work units in our 1000+ strong workplace, recreation or similar leave was not allowed at all during these few weeks. It was a bad flu season, decades before there was any such thing as a vaccine, and we had half of the staff off on sick leave. 500 people from one building! Later when I had the power to do so, I insisted that sick staff members in my area should go home or somehow Get. Out. Of. Here. to protect other staff.

adelady

That was a good point, but I have to say that's probably more of a management problem. I've actually had supervisors and managers actually say that if you call in sick you had better be on deaths bed, and they were serious. Even when I was feeling sick I felt a lot of pressure to go into work.

I try not to battle my body over colds or flu's, it knows what to do most of the time. water and sleep. and the occasional sudafed.

I've actually had supervisors and managers actually say that if you call in sick you had better be on deaths bed, and they were serious.

And some of these clowns are the worst culprits when it comes to spreading contagious illnesses. Apart from the few who seem to believe that they themselves are the only people they know of who honestly, truly, get really sick enough to not attend work. Everyone else who claims illness is a lying, idle bludger who just needs a good kick to get them going again.

The ones who really annoy me are the ones who contest doctor's certificates. We all know that some doctors are better than or worse than others - but how could it be true that every single doctor among 40 or so scattered to all points of the compass could be absolutely wrong about every single patient.

I once worked at a company with an interesting days-off policy. An employee would receive a certain number of days off, partly based on years worked. Take the days for vacation, sick leave, bereavement, personal business, "mental health days", etc. Management didn't want to know why, just that you were taking them off. Tell them months in advance or tell them that morning — they didn't care. Amazing.

painkillers help with the symptoms. they aren't a cure. best way to deal with a cold is to just get plenty of rest, eat healthy (vitamin tablets can also help)

My view of taking medication to relieve fever and/or pain is that that's the best way to ensure you get the maximum possible rest, preferably sleep.

Just going to bed where you're tossing and turning restlessly because you're too hot and uncomfortable (or your aching head won't let up or you can't relax uncomfortable joints and muscles) means that your body's natural mechanisms for healing - rest (with enough fluids) - can't do their best work.

My personal policy regarding illness is that I will go to work if it is just an upper respiratory cold because on graveyards, we are very few and can stay at considerable distance from each other. I may take a cold medication to relieve stuffiness and sneezing symptoms. I will not go to work with anything that involves aching, nausea or lower intestinal distress.

You forget to mention the bloody customers who come into the store, hacking, wheezing and spewing their germs everywhere.

Then there is this corporate trend toward wanting the majority of staff to be part-time, with NO SICK LEAVE benefits and cutting staffing to the bone so that the absence of any one member brings hardship upon the rest, increasing the workload, stress and the percentages of falling ill as a result. For those persons with a single income and no personal safety net, they feel pressure not to miss a day because they are barely getting by as it is.

I am fortunate to live in a household with two incomes and a bit of a rainy day fund so that should my partner or I fall ill, we can and will take the needed time to recover and avoid exposing others to our contagion. He does have a sick leave package while I do not. Fortunately, through attention to diet and exercise, I seldom fall victim to colds even and the last couple I have felt coming on were gracious enough to manifest going into my days off so that I was able to rest and be pretty much recovered before my next set of graveyard shifts. I am the only person at my office job three out of four weeks a month and my boss is the germ vector there as he travels a lot. He has been ill a couple of times in 18 months but I managed not to share his misery.

Everybody wash your hands now! It is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of diseases.


(OH, and I really am very sorry for sneezing on your keyboard)

Originally Posted by dan hunter

Everybody wash your hands now! It is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of diseases.


(OH, and I really am very sorry for sneezing on your keyboard)

okay great i'll wash my hands before having sex with someone with aids. it prevents diseases right?

Everybody wash your hands now!

Not good enough.

You have to dry them as well. Thoroughly.

Originally Posted by adelady

Everybody wash your hands now!

Not good enough.

You have to dry them as well. Thoroughly.

you do realise washing hands is not the answer?

if you keep washing your hand you will just remove skin microbiome and you'll still get sick

washing hands after coming from toilet, and before meal. (with soap if possible) this will help.

Originally Posted by sir ir r aj

washing hands after coming from toilet, and before meal. (with soap if possible) this will help.

that's just standard hygiene mate

Originally Posted by bio

Originally Posted by sir ir r aj

washing hands after coming from toilet, and before meal. (with soap if possible) this will help.

that's just standard hygiene mate

but this will prevent from propagation of germ related diseases. This is first line of immunity / defence against germs.
It is easy to wash hands and be saved from fever (or other diseases) then to take painkillers to lower body temperature through paracetamol and aspirin. If we dont use first line of defence to get rid of germs they will be hard to kill through medication. Prevention is better than cure.

Originally Posted by sir ir r aj

Originally Posted by bio

Originally Posted by sir ir r aj

washing hands after coming from toilet, and before meal. (with soap if possible) this will help.

that's just standard hygiene mate

but this will prevent from propagation of germ related diseases. This is first line of immunity / defence against germs.
It is easy to wash hands and be saved from fever (or other diseases) then to take painkillers to lower body temperature through paracetamol and aspirin. If we dont use first line of defence to get rid of germs they will be hard to kill through medication. Prevention is better than cure.

thank you for telling me this i had no idea since i do biomedical science
thanks man

that's just standard hygiene mate

If only.

I was talking to a friend who works in an aged care facility. She pointed out that standard prescribed hand hygiene, washing and drying, between patients is supposed to take at least 90 seconds. Sounds all very well and good until you look at her schedule for patients to be cared for on her night shift. Add up her time available and divide it by number of patients in the unit ... and you get less than 5 minutes per patient per night. Of which one and half minutes is supposed to be dedicated to hand hygiene.

So she's somehow supposed to manage changing a few continence pads, toileting some residents, giving others a drink to maintain hydration, a bit of skincare here and there to prevent bedsores as well as changing some bed linen and some clothing. Just ain't gonna happen.

I read somewhere that flu is picked up and spread more by hand contact than any other way. Makes me glad I only use my cell phone now and I never let anyone else handle it.

My greatest concern about transmission at work IS the shared resources such as keyboards, RF Guns, handrails, door handles etc. but the absolute worst has to be the bloody finger swipe timeclock because every person who works there uses that thing. With the other venues, you will possibly be exposed to the germs of 10-25% of the staff on any given day. Touching the timeclock exposes you to 100% of the users.

I preferred the old punch cards simply because of the low transmission factor.

The actual route of transmission of most "cold-like" illnesses is "hand to mouth". That is, you get the germ to your nose/mouth/eyes area by picking it up off a surface that you touched and bring it to the area that gets infected, with your hands. Washing hands frequently and well definatly does help. Those waterless sanatizers help too. Not that impressed with the idea that Nsaids spread disease. I'd like some serious proof that the anti fever effect actually produces a significant increase in the number of viruses shed into the environment by the body. Significant proof as in multiple, large, rigorus, double blind studies, not a thought experiment based on the rate of reproduction of viruses in a in vitro environment, or some such.