In case of influenza, medicines with aspirin should be avoided, because they may precipitate the deadly Reye's syndrome. A unique virus which mimics colds and the flu in small children and some immune compromised adults is respiratory syncitial virus. This causes a lot of wheezing along with a bad cough. The reason we need to be aware of this illness is that there is an antiviral medicine, ribavirin, which can be used to treat severe cases. Following a bad cold and influenza, the injured respiratory passages are more susceptible to bacterial infection.
Many people get sinusitis, bronchitis or pneumonia on the heels of a viral infection.
This is when antibiotics may be helpful, even though they do not help with the virus. However, caution should be used to avoid overusing antibiotics. Fever is a result of infection, and by itself does not warrant treatment. Fever causes no harm, except in infants where it may cause febrile seizures. In fact there is some evidence that fever may play a role in helping the body fight off infection.