• Question: hi we would like to ask u how can we get rid of caughts and viruses

    Asked by shon to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 16 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      Coughs and viruses don’t have any proper treatments. There are drugs called antivirals but they only work on one type of virus at a time. Antibiotics don’t work against viruses.

      The only real way to recover is to keep yourself healthy, eat and drink lots of healthy stuff to make sure your body is fuelled as it fights the virus. Get lots of rest so your body doesn’t get worn down, and try and stay isolated so you don’t give the virus to anyone else.

    • Photo: Karen Masters

      Karen Masters answered on 18 Mar 2012:

      Hygiene is supposed to help a lot – wash your hands frequently. And keep otherwise healthy. That’s all I know. 🙂

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 19 Mar 2012:

      Great question! And one that scientists are still trying to get an answer to.

      We know we can’t just develop a drug to cure colds and other viruses (colds and coughs are caused by viruses too) is because a virus can change its DNA so quickly and easily that by the time scientists make a drug that can kill the one type, a new type has evolved that the drug doesn’t work on. Instead, we rely on our immune system to fight the attack which might take longer.

      Most medicine that you can get for colds doesn’t try to attack the virus, but treats the *symptoms* like a cough or a runny nose or a headache. This doesn’t make your cold go away any faster, but it does make you feel a bit more normal while your body is trying to fight it.

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