The peak cold and flu season has reached the Ottawa-area. However, that cold you've been fighting may not be a cold at all.
Many people in the city are in fact fighting a common respiratory virus that mimics the cold and targets the young and the elderly.
It's called the Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, and can be spread through touching, kissing and shaking hands.
However, Ottawa Public Health wants to assure residents that we're not in the midst of a new epidemic.
As for the flu, the City of Ottawa is experiencing more influenza cases than normal for this time of year. However, the number of flu cases in Ottawa is still lower than the number of confirmed cases in Toronto.
"We only have about 80 cases confirmed through the laboratory, so we know that that's the tip of the iceberg. For every case that's confirmed in the lab, there are probably several hundred out there who are ill," said Brenda MacLean of Ottawa Public Health.
But no matter what bug you've caught, you likely feel terrible.
There's a regiment of remedies to lessen congestion, help calm your cough and bring down your fever. But don't forget to drink ginger ale -- the remedy many mothers recommend.
"And the reason for ginger ale is that it settles the stomach, but it's also alkaline. And the thought is that when you're sick with a virus, you can get slightly acidic, so ginger ale is quite useful for neutralizing the imbalances," said pharmacist Claudia McKeen, of the Glebe Apothecary.
Repeated hand washing is the best way to stay healthy, say experts. You should also eat well and get plenty of sleep.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
