Viral fevers are the most common and frequent adverse health conditions affecting people of every age, from infants to the elderly. A viral fever initiates when infections are caused (by a variety of viruses) and a rise in body temperature is detected.
Viral fevers are not life-threatening in most of the cases but the symptoms they bring are always debilitating to a victim's psychosomatic well-being. They impact daily life heavily and getting back on your feet often takes a long time. However, severe cases of viral fever bring complications particularly among the vulnerable populations i.e. children, elderly and those with a compromised immune system.
What Is a Viral Fever?
Viral fever is not a disease but a symptom of viral infections. It occurs when the body detects the presence of a virus within the body and triggers an immune response. This increases the body temperature of a victim, which we call fever. The body elevates the temperature to create an unfavourable environment for the virus. This, in turn, makes it easier for the immune system to fight the infection off. [ref]
Viral pathogens are known to cause outbreaks with epidemic and pandemic potential. [ref] India, being a country of extreme geo-climatic diversity, is under a constant threat of viral infections time and again, and is an ongoing public health concern. It is also important to strengthen the emergency preparedness for these diseases and response by focusing on how we approach the complications.
How Prone are We Indians toward Contracting a Viral Fever?
Apart from new viruses, there is a trend of known viruses emerging time and again within the Indian subcontinent [ref]. This poses a constant threat, but with ecological systems getting disrupted everyday, it is anything but unusual. The pandemics occur when multiple different species of animals compete to share the same resources, one species spreading the virus they carry and are immune to others. Nearabout 60% of human infectious diseases have resulted from this and 75% of emerging infections come from animals. Out of these, nearly 70% have origins in wildlife. [ref] As the human population and urbanisation grows, the risk of viral diseases too increases. There are also a variety of virologic and other environmental factors [ref] to consider as well to stop the spread of animal-borne diseases among humans.
Viral fevers and their manifestation
Depending on the type of virus and the systems it affects, the fevers are accompanied by multiple additional symptoms.
For example, any virus affecting the respiratory system may cause a sore throat, cough, and chest congestion. For mosquito-borne viruses (dengue and Zika); rash, and joint pain are commonly noticed. Gastrointestinal viruses like rotavirus bring bouts of diarrhoea and vomiting accompanying the fever.
However, the best thing about a viral fever is it resolves within a few days, or as soon as the body creates the necessary antibodies to kill them off. How long a viral fever is going to keep you bed-ridden depends upon this. If the body is unable to create those antibodies, it might lead to other complications.
The Importance of Understanding and Managing Viral Fevers
As Dr. Neha Gupta, MBBS; an experienced Infectious Diseases Physician based in Gurugram comments about viral fevers, that they can typically go above 100.4°F (38°C), accompanied by chills. There will be persistent fatigue and weakness that no amount of rest will be able to drive away. Additionally, there might be present nasal congestion and a raw throat; body aches through muscle and joint pain, which sometimes can grow pretty severe. An excellent example of such symptoms is dengue fever.
Other symptoms that might somewhat inevitably follow are:
- Headaches: Intense, throbbing pain making you lose your balance and focus.
- Skin Rashes: This is common with measles and rubella, other than in dengue.
- Gastrointestinal Issues: Most common are nausea, and vomiting; sometimes diarrhea and stomach aches.
- Loss of Gustatory and Olfactory Sensations: This was highly noted in COVID-19 infection, though usual respiratory infections at their severe states may exhibit the same.
- Eye Redness: Viral conjunctivitis exhibits this most of the time.
Act Fast if You Detect Any of the Above Symptoms
A mild viral fever like influenza will typically last for three to five days. For moderate cases, the duration can be anything between a week and ten days 10 days. But suppose it continues for a period more than that, and you apparently find no clear reason behind, it's marked as a fever of unknown origin. This indicates a high chance of severe viral infection behind; more so if fatigue and dehydration stay present. It asks for an immediate intervention from a specialist for further evaluations and tests.
It doesn’t take much to avoid contracting a viral fever. You only need to maintain proper hygiene and keep your surroundings pest-free, for which, proper awareness is necessary. This will also help a viral fever patient to avoid any further unnecessary complication.
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