Summer sickness? Here's what's going around

BEACHWOOD, Ohio — If you've recently experienced a summer sickness you're not alone, certain viruses are going around this time of year.

“There must be 150 viruses that are circulating during the summer time,” explains University Hospitals Director Wellness, Dr. Roy Buchinsky.

“Just because it’s warm outside doesn’t mean you can’t get a cold virus, these viruses, some of them actually thrive in this situation.”

While it could be a cold virus, allergies could also be the culprit.

Dr. Buchinsky says some symptoms overlap while others do not.  

Runny nose, sore throat, itchy or red eyes are common in both but cold symptoms are more likely to include fever, thick and discolored mucus as well as aches.

“For an allergy, most of the symptoms come on almost altogether whereas with a cold, you normally progress from one symptom to another,” he explains.

At times, you could feel so bad you wonder if it’s the flu.  He says that’s likely not the case. “The influenza virus itself is specifically in the cold weather, you can’t get the flu itself but there are other very similar viruses.”

Buchinsky says it sounds cliché but washing your hands and covering your cough applies during the summer too.

“If you cough or sneeze and you come to work with cold symptoms and you cough, those viruses can spread from person to person very, very quickly,” he says.