Bacteria & Virus Dem
Both virus and bacteria fit cause sickness, but antibiotics dey work only for bacteria.
Virus Sickness:
Include catarrh (cold), influenza, croup, laryngitis, chest cold (bronchitis), and most sore throat.
- Dey usually spread pass bacterial infection. If more than one person for di family get di same sickness, e fit be virus infection.
- Fit make you feel sick like bacterial infection.
- E go usually clear after 4–5 days but e fit take reach three weeks before body go well finish.
- Antibiotics no dey work for sickness weh na virus cause-am
Bacteria Sickness:
- No common like virus sickness.
- E no dey spread quick from one person to another like virus sickness.
- Common examples na strep throat and some kind pneumonia.
- Antibiotics dey work for bacteria sickness, but e no mean say e always dey necessary
Antibiotic Resistance
Sabi to dey use antibiotics with sense make you prevent antibiotic resistance.
How to Wash Hand Well
Washing hand na di best way to stop infection make e no spread.
Fever
Fever na when body temperature rise, many times na because of sickness. If skin red, hot, and dry, even under armpit, e fit mean say person get fever.
Your temperature or your pikin temperature depend on where dem measure am.
Fever:
- E help body fight infection.
- E fit happen for both virus and bacteria sickness.
Management:
- Fever na body way to protect itself and fight infection. Fever fit happen for both virus and bacteria sickness.
- You fit use acetaminophen or ibuprofen (follow di instruction wey dey for di pack) if di person wey get fever no dey comfortable.
- Wear light cloth for yourself or your pikin so body go cool, but no let em cold too much wey go make you dey shake, because shivering go make body hot more. Keep di room temperature around 20°C or make e dey cool well.
- Drink plenty cool water. Give your pikin cool water or ice pop every one hour when e dey awake.
If person of any age get fever and rash and e don waka go area wey measles dey catch people, make e contact Health Link (dial 811 in Alberta) to get advice on wetin to do.
Catarrh (Cold)
Catarrh (Cold) na virus dey cause am. E get about 200 different virus wey fit cause catarrh. Pikin fit get catarrh 8–10 times every year. Adults no dey get catarrh too much because dem don build protection against some of di virus. Antibiotics no dey work for catarrh virus.
Signs of Catarrh:
- At di beginning, head go dey pain, fever go dey, and eye go dey water, before catarrh, sore throat, sneezing, and cough go start.
- Di water wey dey come out from nose go first clear, but later e go thick, yellow or green.
How to Prevent Am:
- Wash your hand well to stop di virus wey dey cause catarrh from spread.
- Teach your pikin how to wash dem hand well.
How to Manage Am:
- Drink plenty water, any temperature wey go make you feel better.
- You fit use acetaminophen or ibuprofen (follow di instruction wey dey for di pack) if di person wey get catarrh no dey comfortable.
- If you get catarrh or you dey take care of person wey get catarrh, wash your hand well well so you no go give di sickness to another person.
- Decongestant or cough syrup fit help di symptoms, but e no go make di catarrh go away faster.
NOTE: No give dis medicine to pikin wey never reach six years old.
NOTE: Decongestant and cough syrup fit get medicine wey dey reduce fever. Make sure say you read di writing on top well well and ask your pharmacist or doctor to make sure say you no go use too much medicine.
Use salt-water (saline) nose drop to help clear blocked nose, especially for baby and small pikin dem. Use commercial salt-water drop or spray or make your own.
How to Make Salt-Water Drop for Nose
Mix together:
- 1 cup (240 mL) distilled water (if you wan use tap water, first boil am for one minute to make sure say no disease de inside, then make e cool small until e warm).
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) salt.
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda.
Put di mixture inside clean bottle wey get dropper or squeeze bottle (you fit buy am for pharmacy). You fit also use bulb syringe. Make fresh mixture every three days.
How to use am:
- Sit down and bend your head small go back. No lie down. Put di tip of di dropper, bulb syringe, or squeeze bottle small inside one nostril. Gently gently drip or spray small drops inside di nostril. Do di same for di other nostril. Clean di dropper with clean cloth or tissue after any tome you use em.
Flu (Influenza)
Flu (influenza) na virus dey cause am. Adults wey get flu fit spread di virus to other people for 3–5 days after symptoms start. Pikin wey get flu fit spread di virus to other people for up to 7 days.
Symptoms:
- Fever/chills
- Head dey pain
- Muscle or body go dey pain
- Body go dey weak
- Sore throat
- Runny or blocked nose/sneezing
- Cough
How to Prevent Am:
- Take flu (influenza) vaccine every year.
- Wash your hand well, especially after you don dey with person wey get sickness. Teach your pikin how to wash hand well.
- Cover your nose and mouth when you dey sneeze or cough.
- Teach your pikin how to cough and sneeze properly.
How to Manage Am:
- Drink plenty fluids like water.
- Make sure say you rest well well or allow your pikin to rest well well. Stay for house or keep your pikin for house for di first few days of di sickness so e fit rest and no go spread di sickness give other people.
- You fit use acetaminophen or ibuprofen (follow di instruction for di pack) for fever, headache, and body pain.
Flu (influenza) season dey start for November or December each year and e dey end for April or May. Sometimes, flu fit turn to pneumonia.
Sinus Infection
Di sinuses na air spaces wey dey around di nose and eyes. Sinusitis dey happen when fluid gather inside di sinuses. Sinusitis dey happen mostly after person get catarrh (cold), but most cold no dey turn to bacterial sinusitis. Di signs of sinusitis go strong well well and e go last pass normal catarrh.
NOTE: If symptom dey follow with sore throat and/or cough, check Catarrh and/or Flu (nfluenza).
Symptoms:
- Face pain or pressure, headache, toothache, tiredness, cough, fever.
- Nose wey block with yellow or green nose discharge wey last more than 10 days fit mean say you go need antibiotics.
Management:
- Consider use acetaminophen or ibuprofen (follow di package instruction) for pain and fever.
- For pikin dem, use saltwater drops or spray to help clear nose discharge (see Catarrh (Cold) for recipe on page 9); for adult, saline irrigation go work better.
- Decongestants fit clear stuffy nose but e no go reduce di illness time.
NOTE: No give dis products to babies or pikin dem wey never reach six years.
NOTE: Decongestants fit also get fever-reducing medicine. Make sure say you read di writing on top well well and ask your pharmacist or doctor make sure say you no overdose.
Both bacteria and virus fit cause sinusitis (virus dey more common by 200 times).
Sore Throat
Sore throat go usually come with catarrh. Most sore throat dey caused by virus. Antibiotic no go help sore throat wey virus cause.
Some sore throat na Streptococcus bacteria dey cause am. If sore throat get runny nose, cough, cracked voice, pinkeye, or diarrhea, na probably virus cause am. NO be strep throat.
Your doctor no fit tell if sore throat na strep throat just by looking at am.
- If sore throat na part of catarrh (cold), e most likely virus cause am and no need to collect swab.
- If you no get catarrh symptom, your doctor fit collect swab to check if sore throat na bacteria or virus cause. Di test result usually ready within 48 hours.
- If di test result negative, antibiotic no go work because virus fit cause sore throat.
- If di test result positive, your doctor fit decide to give antibiotic.
- Other pipo for di family no need test unless dem sick.
Management:
- Drink plenty water and other fluids.
- Consider use acetaminophen or ibuprofen (follow di package instruction) for throat pain and fever
- For pikin wey don reach six years and above and adult, plain throat lozenges fit relieve di symptom.
NOTE: Younger pikin dem no suppose chop lozenges because e fit choke dem. - For older pikin and adult, gargling with warm salt water go make di throat feel better. Mix ½ tsp table salt with 1 cup (250 ml) warm water. Gargle for 10 seconds. You fit do am 4–5 times per day.
- You or your pikin fit go back to normal activity when you feel better.
Ear Ache
Di Eustachian tube connect di middle ear and di back of di throat. Because dis tube narrow
for small pikin, e fit block, especially when pikin get catarrh. Dis blockage fit lead to infection.
E important to know say 70-80% of pikin wey get ear infection go better without antibiotic. Some ear infection na virus cause am, some na bacteria cause am. Watchful waiting na reasonable approach wey your doctor fit recommend.
Symptoms:
- Fever
- Ear pain
- Irritability
How to Prevent Am:
- Wash your hand many times and teach your pikin how to wash hand well because most ear infection happen after catarrh.
- No expose your pikin to second-hand smoke.
- No give your pikin bottle to drink while e dey lie down.
Management:
- Consider use acetaminophen or ibuprofen (follow di package instructions) for pain and fever.
- Put warm cloth for outside of di ear.
- Antihistamines and decongestants no go help ear infection.
- For some case, your doctor fit give antibiotic after e check your pikin ear.
- Because of di risk of antibiotic resistance, e no dey recommended again to give antibiotics for long time to prevent ear infection.
Cough
Most cough wey dey worry adult and pikin na viral infection for chest and throat (check di
chart below). We suppose only use antibiotics for cough if doctor confirm say the person get pneumonia (bacteria infection) or if test show say na pertussis (whooping cough).
Symptoms:
- Fever, cough, and chest pain.
- Cough wey dey bring out mucus wey fit be yellow or green. This no mean say e be bacterial infection.
- Wheezing fit happen.
NOTE: For viral bronchitis, 45% of pipo still dey cough after 2 weeks. 25% of pipo still dey cough after 3 weeks.
Illness | Site | Age Group | Cause |
Laryngitis | Vocal cords | Older Pikin / Adults | Virus |
Croup | Vocal cords and windpipe | Younger Pikin | Virus |
Bronchitis1 | Breathing tubes (big big) | Older Pikin / Adults | Virus |
Bronchiolitis | Breathing tubes (small small) | Babies | Virus |
Pneumonia | Air sacs | All ages | Bacteria or virus |
Whooping cough | Nose to lungs | Any age | Bacteria |
1 Pipo wey get severe long-term lung disease sometimes fit get bacterial infection when dem get bronchitis.
Management:
- Drink plenty water and other fluids.
- Cough medicine wey dem call “cough suppressant” fit help older pikin and adults.
NOTE: No give this kind medicine to baby or pikin wey never reach six years.
NOTE: Some cough syrup fit get medicine wey dey reduce fever. Make sure say you read the label well well and ask your pharmacist or doctor make you no overdose. - Ordinary cough drops or lozenges fit help older pikin and adults. Avoid antibacterial cough drops because dem fit cause antibiotic resistance.
NOTE: No give cough drops to pikin wey never reach six years because e fit choke dem. - Chest x-ray dey recommended to check for bacterial pneumonia. Once doctor don make the diagnosis, dem go usually give antibiotics.
Serious Symptoms Weh Medical Person Go Need Check
Dis symptoms need di attention of doctor or nurse.
Fever:
- Any pikin wey never reach 3 months get fever, carry am go see doctor.
- Any pikin get fever come be like e no dey okay, dem go need go see doctor.
- Any pikin get fever for more than 3 days, dem go need see doctor within 24 hours.
Earache:
Go see doctor if pikin ear dey pain am (earache) and:
- Dem get high fever; or
- Dem no dey okay; or
- Behind dem ear turn red or don swell; or
- Dem ear dey pushed forward; or
- Dem earache pain no reduce pass 24 hours after u don use acetaminophen/ibuprofen.
Adults wey get fever or other illness suppose suppose try see doctor or nurse if di symptoms dey get worse or dey too serious pass normal.
For Alberta, you fit call Health Link (at 811) if you need advice or if you no sure wetin to do.
For practical advice on health problems for pikin, visit ahs.ca/heal, a public information resource wey Stollery Children’s Hospital dey maintain.
Signs of Health Emergencies
If you or person wey you dey care for show any of these symptoms, abeg make sure say you look for medical help sharp sharp.
Fever
Look for medical help sharp sharp if:
- Person wey be any age wey get fever come dey very irritable or lethargic (e hard to wake up or stay awake), e dey vomit again and again, e fit get stiff neck or e get rash wey no go even if you press on the spots (e fit look like small bruises).
Breathing
Look for medical help sharp sharp if:
- Sick person wey be any age dey find am hard to breathe (no be because of stuffy nose).
- Sick person dey breathe fast fast or too slow, or e get blue lips, hands, or feet.
General Condition
Look for medical help sharp sharp if:
- Person wey dey sick wey be any age hard to wake up or to keep awake, or e dey more confused, irritable, or agitated than normal, e get severe headache wey no gwan, e get stiff neck, e get mottled or very pale skin or e seem cold when you touch am.
- Sick person get signs of dehydration like dry skin, dry mouth, sunken soft spot
(fontanelle) for baby, or e no dey urine well.
Other reasons to look for medical help sharp sharp na:
- If e dey difficult for sick person to swallow or e dey drool too much.
- If sick person wey be any age don weak well well, no fit move, or e body dey shake (seizure).
This information na just for reference only. Any time, you go need use your own knowledge and judgement to decide if you need to talk to doctor, nurse, or nurse practitioner.
For Alberta, if you need health advice or no sure wetin to do, you fit call Health Link by dialing 811.
Antibiotic Resistance
Wetin be Antibiotic Resistance?
- Anytime person use antibiotics — whether e need am or e no need am — e fit make “antibiotic resistance” to happen. To stop this wahala, we suppose use antibiotics only when e really dey necessary. No be every sickness need antibiotics.
- Antibiotic resistance na how bacteria dey take protect demself so dem fit survive and grow, even when person dey take antibiotics. Bacteria wey get this resistance, people dey call dem “superbugs.”
- When bacteria get antibiotic resistance, the antibiotics wey dey work before no go work again.
- Sickness wey antibiotic resistant bacteria cause dey hard to treat, and sometimes e no even get cure at all. Dis one fit make sickness last long and e fit even lead to death.
- Make you remember, na di bacteria dey resistant – NO BE YOU! Even healthy people wey never use antibiotics before fit still catch antibiotic-resistant bacteria from other places.
Antibiotics no dey work for virus sickness like catarrh (cold), flu, and chest cold (bronchitis). If you use antibiotics for this kind sickness, e fit cause antibiotic resistance.
Wetin you suppose do?
- No expect make doctor give you antibiotics when you or your pikin get catarrh or cough. Most of dis sickness na virus cause am, and antibiotics no go help.
- Make you talk with your doctor to know if na virus or bacteria dey cause di sickness and if antibiotics dey needed.
- Make you get patience when you (or your pikin) get catarrh, cough, or sore throat. Most virus sickness go take 4–5 days before e start to clear, and e fit reach 3 weeks before person go well finish.
- During catarrh (cold) or flu time, wash your hand well well to make sure say you no go sick. Follow our handwashing advice wey dey for next page.
No go fight SUPER RESISTANT BUG wey you fit avoid. Use
antibiotics with sense!
How to Wash Hand Well
Washing hand na di best way to stop infection make e no spread.
80% of common sickness fit spread through hand.
When you suppose wash your hand:
- Before you chop food
- Before, during, and after you prepare food
- Before you breastfeed your pikin
- After you use toilet or help pikin use toilet
- Before and after you change pampers or use feminine hygiene product
- After you blow your nose or clean pikin nose
- After you touch things wey other people don touch
- Before you put or remove contact lens
- Before and after you take care of person wey dey sick
- After you touch or feed animal, or clean animal mess
- Before and after you use floss clean your teeth
How you go wash hand well well:
- Use soap and water. Water alone no fit comot germs.
- First, put water for hand.
- Use ordinary soap. No use antibacterial soap.
- Oya, begin rub your hand make e reach 20 secs (or sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star finish before you
stop). Make sure say na everywhere for your hand, including your palm, between your fingers, thumb, back of hand, wrist, fingertips, and nails wey you rub. - Rinse your hand for 10 seconds.
- Dry your hand well with clean towel.
Wetin You Suppose Do:
- Make sure say doctors, dentists, nurses, and therapists wash dem hand before dem check you or your pikin.
- Make sure ordinary soap dey inside di toilet for your pikin school and your workplace.
- Make sure say pikin care center get place wey dem fit wash hand.
- Use ordinary soap. Ordinary soap dey work well like antibacterial soap. Antibacterial soap no good because e fit cause bacterial resistance, and e no better pass ordinary soap.
- Lead by Example.
Disclaimer Statement:
Dis material na general information wey dem provide “as e be,” “where e be.” Even though Alberta Health Services try make sure say di information correct, dem no fit guarantee say e 100% correct, reliable, complete or fit work for everything. Dis material no be replacement for di advice of beta health professional. Alberta Health Services no go take blame for how people use dis material or any wahala wey fit happen from di use of dis material.
Do Bugs Need Drugs,
Communicable Disease Control,
Alberta Health Services.
DBND@ahs.ca
www.dobugsneeddrugs.org
© 2022 Alberta Health Services,
Provincial Population & Public Health
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