Fall in Omaha can change gears quickly. One weekend may be perfect for apple picking, a pumpkin patch, or a Saturday football game, while the next has everyone reaching for jackets. Add school schedules, indoor gatherings, and the beginning of respiratory virus season, and coughing and sniffling can suddenly seem to be everywhere.
So what happens when you wake up with a sore throat and stuffy nose? Is it a cold? Could it be influenza or COVID-19? Or is another respiratory illness making the rounds?
Unfortunately, symptoms don’t always provide an obvious answer. Many respiratory infections cause similar problems, particularly during their first few days. Paying attention to how your illness begins and which symptoms develop can provide clues but sometimes testing or a medical evaluation is the best way to sort things out.
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Why Are So Many People Sick in Fall?
Respiratory illnesses can occur throughout the year but fall creates plenty of opportunities for them to spread. Kids are back in classrooms sports are in full swing, and people gradually begin spending more time indoors as temperatures drop.
The common cold is not one specific virus. Numerous viruses can cause cold symptoms, including rhinoviruses. Influenza and COVID-19 are also viral respiratory illnesses, while RSV, enteroviruses, adenoviruses, and parainfluenza viruses can cause symptoms that resemble a cold or flu.
Then there are seasonal allergies, which can cause sneezing, congestion, irritated throats, and coughing without an infection at all.
That overlap is why asking, “What’s going around?” doesn’t always produce one simple answer. Several respiratory illnesses may be circulating at the same time.
Is It a Cold or Something More?
How your symptoms begin can offer one clue.
Colds often start gradually. Maybe your throat feels scratchy one evening. The next morning your nose is stuffy, and by the following day you are coughing and reaching for the tissues. Runny nose, congestion, sneezing, and sore throat are common, while a significant fever is less typical.
Influenza often announces itself much more dramatically.
You might feel relatively normal in the morning and be ready for bed by afternoon with chills, fever, headache, body aches, exhaustion, and a cough. Flu symptoms are frequently more intense than those of a typical cold. Children can sometimes develop stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea as well.
Neither pattern is foolproof, however. Respiratory illnesses affect people differently, so symptoms alone cannot always provide a definite diagnosis.
How Does COVID-19 Fit Into the Picture?
COVID-19 remains another possibility when respiratory symptoms appear. Fever, coughing, congestion, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and shortness of breath can occur with COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory infections.
Some people with COVID-19 experience a change in taste or smell, but that symptom does not occur in every case.
Testing can be particularly useful when identifying the infection and could change your treatment options.
Don’t Forget About RSV and Other Respiratory Infections
Cold, flu, and COVID-19 get most of the attention, but they aren’t responsible for every cough in Omaha.
RSV can cause congestion, coughing, sneezing, fever, and other cold-like symptoms. Although many people recover without complications, RSV can cause more significant illness in infants, young children, older adults, and some people with underlying health concerns.
Rhinovirus and enterovirus can also cause cough, congestion, sore throat, and fever. And a very painful sore throat particularly one without the typical runny nose of a cold may warrant testing for strep throat.
The important point isn’t to memorize every respiratory virus. It’s to recognize when an illness is behaving differently than the mild colds you’ve experienced before. If your symptoms are confusing or do not improve, but worsen; walk in or book online with AFC Omaha, NE for quick diagnosis and relief.
Make Room for the Fun Parts of an Omaha Fall
Knowing that respiratory illnesses are circulating doesn’t mean fall needs to become a season of avoiding everyone.
The Omaha area has plenty worth getting out of the house for. Families can head to Vala’s Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard for pumpkins and seasonal attractions, visit an area orchard for apple picking, or spend a cool October afternoon carving the pumpkins everyone insisted on bringing home.
Fall also means football games, school activities, Halloween events, and plenty of indoor and outdoor gatherings around Omaha.
A few everyday habits can help reduce the chances of sharing more than cider and caramel apples. Wash your hands regularly, avoid sharing cups and utensils, and cover coughs and sneezes. If you’re actively sick, giving yourself a day at home rather than pushing through another event can benefit both your recovery and everyone else attending.
Seasonal flu and updated COVID-19 vaccinations may also be part of fall preventive care for people who choose to receive them based on current recommendations.
What Can You Do at Home for Mild Respiratory Symptoms?
For many uncomplicated viral respiratory illnesses, the basics still matter.
Get enough rest and drink plenty of fluids. A humidifier may help with nasal congestion and coughing, particularly once Omaha’s colder weather means furnaces are running and indoor air becomes drier. Appropriate over-the-counter medicines may also help manage fever, aches, congestion, or coughing.
Antibiotics do not treat viral illnesses such as colds or influenza. If your symptoms suggest another type of infection, a medical provider can determine whether additional testing or treatment is appropriate.
Most importantly, pay attention to whether you’re improving. A mild illness that gradually gets better is different from symptoms that continue to intensify or disappear and then return.
When Should You Visit AFC Urgent Care Omaha?
Consider getting evaluated if you’re feeling significantly ill, symptoms aren’t improving as expected, you need testing, or you’re simply having trouble determining whether your “bad cold” could actually be the flu, COVID-19, or another respiratory infection.
AFC Urgent Care Omaha can evaluate symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, congestion, fatigue, and body aches and determine whether testing or additional treatment may be appropriate.
Seek emergency care instead for serious warning signs such as significant difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, new confusion, or blue, gray, or unusually pale skin or lips.
Don’t Let a Respiratory Bug Take Over Your Fall
Nobody wants to trade an afternoon at the pumpkin patch or apple orchard for a weekend on the couch. Still, giving your body time to recover when you’re sick can help you get back to the things you’d rather be doing.
If you’re unsure whether your cough, fever, sore throat, or body aches are from a cold, flu, COVID-19, or another respiratory illness, AFC Urgent Care Omaha can help with symptom relief and determine the appropriate next steps.
Then, hopefully, you can get back to enjoying fall in Omaha with the only tough decision being which pumpkin actually fits in the trunk.