Flu or Cold?
Faster than a sneezing toddler. More powerful than a throbbing migraine. Able to leap from person to person with a single cough. It’s cold and flu season! The trick is to figure out if you’ve got a cold, the flu or a sinus infection - Christine Inguanzo MD

image by: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
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Cold and Flu
It’s not surprising if you’re not sure what you’ve caught, considering how often we often lump cold and flu into the same general category. Yes, they’re both caused by viruses and tend to trigger similar symptoms, but they’re also very different illnesses...
Colds tend to be mild, and you can usually recover at home without needing any treatment. The flu, on the other hand, can lead to potentially serious complications in high-risk people, including infants, pregnant people, immunocompromised people, and older adults.
Resources
Do I have a cold or the flu?
One infectious illness comes on slow, the other hits you like a truck.
Health Check: when is ‘the flu’ really a cold?
Most people who think they have the flu, don’t. And some people who think they have a cold, really have the flu. So what is the difference between a cold and the flu? And does it matter?
How to tell a cold from the flu, in 2 great charts
Guess which one makes you feel like you’ve been hit by a truck.
Do you know how to tell the difference between a cold and the flu?
People with a cold may also suffer with a mild fever, earache, tiredness and headache. Symptoms develop over one or two days and gradually get better after a few days. Some colds can last for up to two weeks. Flu, on the other hand, usually comes on much more quickly than a cold, and symptoms include,,,
Have you got a cold – or the flu?
According to the Health Protection Agency: "Influenza makes people feel worse than an ordinary cold. For most people, influenza infection is just a nasty experience, but for some it can lead to illnesses that are more serious."
Here's How to Tell if You Have a Cold or the Flu
Your nose is dripping like a leaky faucet, your throat is sore and you can’t stop sneezing. You don’t have a fever, but you feel wiped out—like you could curl up on the floor and fall asleep. Do you have a cold or the flu?
Is It A Nasty Cold Or The Flu?
Flu symptoms, Ejnes says, usually start abruptly — though you can spread the virus before symptoms surface.
Is It Flu, COVID-19, Allergies, or a Cold?
Determining the cause of an illness can be tricky because many share some symptoms. They can leave you sniffling, coughing, and feeling tired. But there are important differences.
It's a cold! It's the flu! It's cold and flu season!
A cold usually does not involve a fever, while influenza is typically associated with a fever over 101 degrees.
Cold and Flu
It can sometimes be hard to tell whether you’ve caught a cold or come down with the flu, but there are usually a few signs you have one or the other...
CDC
Influenza (flu) and the common cold are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. Flu is caused by influenza viruses only, whereas the common cold can be caused by a number of different viruses, including rhinoviruses, parainfluenza, and seasonal coronaviruses.

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