How does someone recognize influenza? What are the symptoms?
It is very difficult to distinguish the flu from other viral or bacterial causes of respiratory illnesses on the basis of symptoms alone. A test can confirm that an illness is influenza if the patient is tested within the first two to three days after symptoms begin. In addition, a doctor’s examination may be needed to determine whether a person has another infection that is a complication of influenza. Influenza is a respiratory illness. Symptoms of Influenza include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. Children can have additional gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, but these symptoms are uncommon in adults. Fever and cough, particularly in combination, are modestly predictive of influenza in unvaccinated adults, as is the combination of fever, cough, headache, and pharyngitis in children. Other constitutional signs and symptoms, such as chills, rigors, diaphoresis, and myalgias, are also su
