Pathogen

As triggers of a summer flu are usually responsible so-called Coxsackie viruses, named after the US-American city in which they were first found. They belong to the group of enteroviruses and can cause other diseases besides summer flu. The transmission route can either be via the respiratory tract as a droplet infection or via the fecal-oral route, for example via contaminated drinking water. Faecal-oral means that the pathogens, which are excreted with the stool, are absorbed through the mouth. Depending on the transmission path, different diseases can then be caused.

Incubation period

The typical incubation period of a summer flu is about 2 to 14 days. The incubation period is the time from the intake of the pathogens to the appearance of the first symptoms of a disease. This time passes without the affected person noticing any flu symptoms. By the time the first symptoms appear, the invading viruses have multiplied in the human body cells to such an extent that these host cells burst and flood the body with viruses. The body then begins to fight the infection by trying to get rid of the germs in the form of a cold or by fever making the immune system work better.

Associated symptoms

Absorbed via a droplet infection, summer flu can cause various cold symptoms. In addition to fever, rhinitis and sore throat, coughing and headaches and aching limbs can also be impressive. Furthermore, there is often a loss of appetite and irritation of the respiratory tract.

Swelling of the lymph nodes in the throat area can also be observed. These symptoms do not have to occur all together. Depending on the state of the immune system and the amount of germs ingested, they develop to varying degrees.

The symptoms may include chills or a feeling of heat accompanied by sweating. Furthermore, a skin rash can also occur as part of the cold. This is often the case in children, as the Coxsackie virus has also been proven to cause hand-foot-and-mouth disease.Here, reddish spots appear on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and around the mouth, sometimes with blistering.

Pain in the limbs is a frequent harbinger of an approaching flu-like infection. They are often described by the affected person as muscle pain and are mostly located in the arms and legs, but can also occur on the back. In most cases, a gradual onset of pain is reported, accompanied by a weakened general feeling and the onset of flu-like symptoms.

If the patient is under heavy strain, painkillers can be used for treatment. In addition to the generally mentioned cold symptoms, fever can also develop during a summer flu. Accompanied by early symptoms such as headaches and aching limbs, a feeling of coldness initially occurs, often together with chills.

The fever is to be understood as a normal physical defence reaction. The activation of the immune system with all its components can work better under the increased temperature to fight off the invading pathogens. For this reason, the sense of lowering the fever should possibly be discussed with a doctor.

Nausea in the conventional sense is not a typical characteristic of summer flu. Nevertheless, flu-like infections such as summer flu are always subject to the individual characteristics of the person affected, so that nausea cannot be ruled out as a symptom. The virus that causes summer flu can also promote symptoms of gastroenteritis with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

However, not all of these symptoms need to occur in parallel. The summer flu can have several faces. On the one hand it appears like a flu-like infection, on the other hand it can also be related to a skin rash. The causative agent of summer flu, the Coxsackie virus, is also the trigger of the hand-foot-mouth disease, which mainly affects children. It is possible to get a rash in addition to the flu symptoms of summer flu.