Faruk Ahmed, an employee of a private company in Dhaka, had been suffering from a cold for 16 days.
In the second week of March, he started having a cough and body aches, but it took more than two weeks for him to recover completely.
He said when he asked for leave at his office citing cold, they asked him why he had a cold for so long.
“And I couldn't answer. Usually, I get better in three to four days,” he said.
It is commonly believed that shifts in weather can trigger colds and coughs that persist for days.
These seasonal flu-like symptoms often coincide with transitions from warm to cold or vice versa.
However, there are instances where recovery takes much longer than expected, stretching from weeks to even months, leaving doctors puzzled.
Hence, several doctors have speculated about a new type of virus that is causing this new kind of flu, but there is no evidence supporting it yet.
According to doctors, the common cold is caused by a virus infection. Once upon a time, it was thought that only colds were caused by a special category of viruses. However, in the 1980s, scientists confirmed that a total of seven categories of viruses cause colds.
During the winter season, viruses find favorable conditions for rapid transmission, facilitating the spread of colds. Consequently, people are more exposed to catching colds during this time of the year.
On the other hand, it is often impossible to distinguish between flu and common cold as the symptoms are the same.
However, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) monitors the transmission of influenza virus throughout the year.
According to the monitoring report of the organization in January, no flu was found in 506 samples collected from 10 divisional hospitals across the country. However, Covid-19 patients have been found at this time.
According to the year-long report of the organization, only 8.11% of the 11,165 samples tested from February last year to January this year were found to have different types of flu. Among these the rate of influenza 'A' and 'B' infection is high.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the US, there are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C, and D.
Influenza viruses A and B are responsible for seasonal outbreaks, commonly known as the flu season, occurring almost every winter in the United States. Influenza A is notably associated with flu pandemics.
The CDC explains that a pandemic arises when a novel influenza A virus emerges, capable of infecting humans, spreading rapidly between individuals, and encountering little to no preexisting immunity in the human population.
Meanwhile, influenza D viruses primarily spread to other animals, including cattle. It is believed that it cannot infect humans.
What experts say
Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Prof Dr Shohael Mahmud Arafat said that the symptoms of the new “viral” cold that are going on at the moment are different, which are cough, cold, fever, and body ache.
“Pinpointing the exact cause as a virus is challenging. Typically, influenza virus affects individuals in our country,” he said.
The emerging variant suggests heightened throat sensitivity post-infection, leading to coughing. Additionally, existing allergies or respiratory issues complicate diagnosis further, making it challenging to ascertain the precise cause, he added.
Preventive medicine specialist Dr Lenin Chowdhury said: "We are thinking of some reasons behind the prolongation of colds and coughs. One of them is that the virus that is causing the flu or cold cough may have had a mutation. That is why this year's cold cough is lingering.”
She added that after corona, those who were infected with the Covid-19 virus had negative changes in the immune system and respiratory system in their body.
IEDCR Director Prof Tahmina Shirin said: “The surveillance we conduct for influenza hasn't commenced in the usual manner yet. Moreover, we don't conduct all kinds of surveillance events; in other events, mostly samples of ICU patients are collected. Hence, the information obtained there may not be representative of the general population. In this regard, it might not be a new type of virus."
She further added that Bangladesh does not have the capacity to conduct all types of research yet.