Sinusitis is the swelling of the sinuses. Pain and postnasal drip are symptoms of this disease, along with pain in the upper jaw and teeth, coughing, sore throat, and a reduced sense of smell and taste.
The streptococcus bacteria cause 7 million ear infections (otitis media) in the U.S. every year. Symptoms include chills, fever, ear drainage, vomiting, hearing loss, ear pain or mood changes. See the doctor when there is discharge, ear pain, changes in mental states such as confusion, fainting, excessive drowsiness, irritability or seizures.
Encephalitis occurs when the flu virus enters brain tissue and causes swelling, which then could destroy nerve cells, cause bleeding in the brain and brain damage. Meningitis is also caused by a viral inflammation of the tissue lining the brain and the spinal cord. Though these two conditions are rare, they are serious and worth mentioning.
Symptoms of encephalitis involve a high fever, light sensitivity, clumsiness, drowsiness, vomiting, severe headache, confusion, memory loss and seizures. It also may cause movement difficulties and tremors. Seek health care with symptoms like severe headache or fever, double vision, speech or hearing problems, severe mood changes, hallucinations, and paralysis.
Meningitis symptoms include joint pain, neck stiffness, sensitivity to bright lights, vomiting, sudden high fever, a severe, lasting headache, confusion or other mental changes. Watch for a reddish or purple skin rash that doesn’t turn white when you press a glass upon it. That is a sign of blood poisoning. Other symptoms for both meningitis and blood poisoning are fast breathing, lethargy, blotchy skin turning pale or blue, irritability, seizures, and cold hands and feet. Don’t delay -- see your physician right away because both could be deadly.
So now you know -- the noblest thing you can do to keep common colds and influenza viruses out of the office and out of your coworkers’ bodies is to keep your butt home when you are ill. And this applies to the CEO down to the cube farm, too!