SAN ANTONIO – The number of people heading to the doctor for flu-like illnesses continues to rise in Bexar County and Texas, according to data from the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.
But as people test negative for both influenza and coronavirus, doctors are pointing to other possible explanations.
Dr. Aaron King, a family medicine physician with Baptist Medical Network, said people could be experiencing symptoms from the commonly known Rhinovirus or slightly lesser-known Adenovirus.
“It’s definitely one of the more common causes of what we might call the common cold or upper respiratory tract infection,” King said.
While the other viruses are more consistently tested for, King said adenovirus is not.
Adenovirus is usually only tested for in a hospital setting, King said, because symptoms typically subside after three to seven days.
King said symptoms for Adenovirus are the same ones for the common cold: nasal congestion, cough, mild fever, and lower respiratory tract infection.
He explained it is contagious and can spread through direct contact or through droplets left behind from coughing, sneezing, or even tears.
To prevent infecting others, King advised keeping your distance from other people if you are sick, isolating yourself if you are coughing or have a fever, avoiding touching your face as much as possible, and washing your hands multiple times throughout the day.
For those who rely on hand sanitizer to keep their hands clean, Dr. King said soap and hot water are more effective.
“It’s a fairly resistant virus to the typical chemicals that we might use, like hand sanitizers,” King said. “They don’t work quite as well on that virus.”
While you may see information about a vaccine for adenovirus, King said it is only regulated for the military, to prevent it from spreading in their close quarters, like dorms or barracks.
The U.S. Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention said the “safety and effectiveness of this vaccine have not been studied in the general population or in people with weakened immune systems, and it is not approved for use outside of the military.”
King said symptoms can often be treated with over-the-counter products.
“The good news is that usually these infections are fairly self-limited,” King said, “and they typically go away in the three to seven days and don’t need any extra antibiotics or other treatments.”
If symptoms last longer, King said to see a doctor to make sure nothing more serious develops.
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