Cold Symptoms vs Flu Symptoms
Cold and flu are the most common types of respiratory illnesses in the world. They affect almost everyone annually and although several drugs have been produced to inoculate against the diseases, most people still remain unaware of the differences between the two.
Flu Symptoms usually come between 3-6 hours of the person acquiring the virus. These include
- Fever (usually severe),
- Headache,
- Muscle Aches,
- Chills,
- Extreme tiredness,
- Dry cough,
- Stomach symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea
Cold symptoms on the other hand, are less severe and people usually experience them later. The main difference between cold and flu symptoms is their severity. Cold usually has very rare occasions with fever. Flu on the other hand, mostly has fever and very severe at that. Muscle aches are also very rare and slight in colds, whereas quite severe in flu. Patients suffering from cold usually do not experience chills as well, whereas Flu symptoms involve chills.
Patients suffering from cold usually do not experience tiredness, and if they do, it is only mild. Flu symptoms however, involve moderate to severe levels of tiredness where the person is unable to perform daily tasks. Cold symptoms involve a hacking and productive cough while flu symptoms involve a dry and unproductive cough. Patients suffering from colds usually also complain of sneezing, runny nose and sore throat but flu patients do not suffer the same.
Another difference between the two symptoms is that cold patients complain of only mild chest discomfort and very rarely suffer from headaches. Flu patients on the other hand, suffer from severe chest discomforts and also commonly complaining of headaches.
These varying degrees offer substantial differences between the two infections. Although medicine do provide a n adequate remedy the best means of preventing flu or colds is to remain warm and sleep well. Human immune systems depreciate considerably due to lack of sleep and this allows viral infections such as flu and colds to overpower the system. With adequate care however, these diseases can be avoided. People should heed these flu and cold symptoms so as to stay healthy.
Related Info:
Swine influenza (also called mexican flu, pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu) is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus (SIV) or S-OIV (swine-origin influenza virus) is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs.[2] As of 2009, the known SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H2N3.
Swine influenza virus is common throughout pig populations worldwide. Transmission of the virus from pigs to humans is not common and does not always lead to human influenza, often resulting only in the production of antibodies in the blood. If transmission does cause human influenza, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People with regular exposure to pigs are at increased risk of swine flu infection. The meat of an infected animal poses no risk of infection when properly cooked.
During the mid-20th century, identification of influenza subtypes became possible, allowing accurate diagnosis of transmission to humans. Since then, only 50 such transmissions have been confirmed. These strains of swine flu rarely pass from human to human. Symptoms of zoonotic swine flu in humans are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.
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