What is the difference between the flu and a common cold?
Common cold is also caused by a virus and is often confused with the flu. There are important differences. While both are contagious, the cold is much more common, and the flu is much more serious. A mild case of the flu is generally worse than a bad cold. The first step in telling the difference is to understand that a cold is centered in the nose and sinuses. With flu, you are sick all over. There is a lot of overlap in symptoms: both can include sore throat, cough, sneezing, headache, and body aches. But colds generally have minimal or no fever, while fever and chills are the hallmark of the flu. Colds tend to begin slowly, while the flu has a sudden onset, beginning with high fever, body aches, and loss of energy. Within several days of onset, flu begins to affect the respiratory track, often causing marked cough and shortness of breath. Many people mistakenly believe that their, “Flu shot didn’t work,” because they mistake what is really a cold for the flu. The flu shot does not p
