Q. What are some of the important considerations when diagnosing and treating Upper Respiratory Infections?

A1. Differentiating between a bacterial infections and the flu is critical because complications associated with Influenza can be deadly in “high risk” patients. 
A2. The CDC notes that rapid influenza testing has a sensitivity ranging from approximately 50% to 70% meaning that up to half of influenza cases relying on repaid flu swab test results will produce false negatives.
A3.  Bacterial and Viral infections often present with similar symptoms. Effective treatment hinges on knowing whether the patient’s infection is viral, bacterial or fungal
A4.  The need to quickly identify the causative agent of the infection bacteria vs. virus differentiates Upper Respiratory Infections from chronic wound’s and UTI’s
A5.  The closer to symptom on-set that an antiviral is introduced the greater chance it has of being effective.