The Common Cold vs. The Flu

Almost all of us have had either the flu or a cold at some point. It feels like we are constantly told "it's flu season" or "get your vaccine, flu season is right around the corner". However, most people confuse one with the other and say they have one virus but really have the other.

This blog is going to outline some differences between the Common Cold and the Flu and how to tell the difference.

According to Simcoe Muskoka Health these are the most common symptoms and how you can differentiate between the common cold and the flu bug:

Symptom	Flu	Cold
Fever	High fever with sudden onset	No
General aches and pains	Common and may be severe	Sometimes but generally mild
Feeling tired/weak	Yes and may last a few weeks	Sometimes but generally mild
Runny nose	Yes	Yes
Sneezing	Sometimes	Yes
Sore Throat	Yes	Yes
Cough	Yes	Yes

So as you can see, the only two symptoms that generally present in both cases are a runny nose and a sore throat. However, that being said, often times these are the symptoms we notice first or we may even go without experiencing symptoms.

(Modified Photo taken from: Nila)

Influenza is a more severe disease than is the cold and often times (as shown above) presents with more severe symptoms. Unlike with a cold, there is a vaccine available for people at high risk of getting the flu as it can often lead to pneumonia. The common cold is the most commonly contracted virus and one is likely to contract it at least once in a year as it is very contagious especially amongst children.