The difference between flu and cold

The European Influenza Surveillance Institute recently recommends that people with suspected flu need to clearly distinguish the " cold " and " flu " manifestations in a medical sense.

According to Professor Koos van der Velden, who works at the European Influenza Surveillance Institute, influenza is a disease caused by a virus called influenza (type A or B), which can be called " pandemic flu ."

In fact, " flu " is much more dangerous than " cold ". Compared with the flu, the common cold has slower and uncomplicated complications in the lungs.

(Photo: medicinenet.com, TTO)

Studies by the European Influenza Surveillance Institute have also shown that colds usually occur in early September in children, while flu outbreaks begin as early as December and last no longer than 5 up to 8 weeks. People who are susceptible to the flu especially young people.

However, at this age, flu is usually treated easily and does not leave sequelae. People in middle age and older, although more difficult to get sick, but when they are caught are often complicated cases, with a very high risk of death. Therefore, once there are flu symptoms, the sick person should be treated according to the doctor's instructions.

Until now, the most effective way to prevent influenza is still vaccination , but according to experts, the effectiveness of vaccination is not absolute. Many studies have shown that the preventive effect of influenza vaccine decreases rapidly or slowly depending on each person's body.

Therefore, Professor Velden recommends that the vaccine should not be premature before the flu season. Even for people who have been vaccinated against the flu, there are up to 5-40% of flu infections due to not being able to develop the necessary antibodies.

For these cases, doctors recommend using special antiviral drugs in appropriate doses to avoid more complicated complications.

A simple way to distinguish between colds and flu

Fever is the flu

Signs of flu are fever. With the flu, the fever will be very high, but if you only catch a cold, the initial signs will not be fever. But fever is also a symptom of many other illnesses such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections . If you only distinguish between colds and flu, fever often occurs in the flu more.

Flu often makes the body ache

Pain is another sign of flu, if a high fever and headache are present, immediately think about the flu. Patients should be prevented from spreading to others because flu is very contagious due to common contact. In people with colds, body aches rarely occur, if any will appear immediately, not after a few days and persistent like the flu.

The feeling of chills shows the flu

This is a distinguishing feature between flu and colds. If chills are present, the symptoms of flu by chills are the result of a fever. The fever is not related to colds. Health experts recommend that if chills occur, with high fever, go to a medical facility immediately to find out the cause of the disease.

Fatigue is caused by the flu

Listen to your body to find out what disease you are having, if suddenly you feel body aches, accompanied by signs of fatigue thinking about flu more.

Colds will be sneezed

Symptoms such as sneezing, nasal speech caused by nasal congestion are definitely when you have a cold. Colds often cause more runny nose, severe nasal discharge will be green or yellow because the nose has been infected. That's when you have a deep cold.

A runny or stuffy nose, think of a cold

This is one of the few most difficult symptoms to distinguish between the two diseases, but if you have a runny or stuffy nose think about the first cold, but these symptoms may also occur in the flu.

Symptoms are sudden, please prioritize flu

If the aforementioned symptoms such as cold, cough, fever attack the body suddenly and rapidly with a severe increase, it is flu. It may even be a highly deadly flu like H1 strains.

There was an unpleasant, uneasy feeling - just a cold

When the body feels uncomfortable, uncomfortable with sneezing, a runny nose, severe pain can be a sore throat - it's just a cold, so you can still do your favorite tasks normally. But if you have the flu, the patient will be tired, fever and do not want to do anything.

Use medicine

For flu, there is no cure for the flu that is caused by the virus, it will go away on its own after 5-7 days with regular flu types. Currently, treatment for patients is mainly symptomatic treatment. When influenza complications such as pneumonia, widespread infection is very dangerous to life such as the current H1N1, H5N1 virus. In cold people, initially can be treated with decongestants, sore throat. However, depending on the signs of the disease, the doctor will give the best indication for you to get rid of a cold or flu.