Cold vs. Flu: What’s the Difference?

So, it's cold and flu season. That sucks. But whenever I feel crappy, I can’t tell if I’ve got the cold, or the flu, does it even matter? What’s the difference? When I get a cough, or a headache or whatever for a few days, I always assume it will go away, or that I have a cold, but sometimes it’s actually the flu! Even though the medicine says its for both the cold and the flu, they’re entirely different viruses. The common cold is caused by over 200 different viruses. Coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, metapneumoviruses, enteroviruses, parainfluenza viruses: they all make the short list, but they really are all different. This is why we can’t “cure” the common cold. The flu, on the other hand, is caused by influenza viruses. All of these are respiratory viruses. They invade the body and set up shock causing very similar symptoms, because the human body only has so many ways to fight off the viral infection. When your body is invaded by a virus, chances are you’ll get the same symptoms every time: dry or sore throat, coughing and sneezing, mild fever, congestion and maybe a headache. It’s pretty standard stuff. If it’s really bad, you’ll get aches and pains in your muscles and exhaustion too. This happens because your body is spending resources fighting off the viral infection. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold. The fever is higher, the aches and level of exhaustion are more pronounced, and the cough might be more intense. While there’s almost no way to tell the difference between the two infections really. Colds do tend to produce a fever less than 101 (38C). They affect the throat and cause a runny nose. The flu however affects the lungs and the joints - so you’re likely to feel more achy than leaky. Telling the difference is one thing, but once you're infected you only have a couple days to get treatment. After the first 48 hours, the infection has usually stopped multiplying and is wreaking havoc on your body instead. Regardless, once symptoms start for viral infections, there’s no simple cure. Antibiotics will not help, because they fight bacteria, not viruses. Taking an antibacterial drug during a viral infection is pointless. In fact, a lot of the remedies for colds and the flu aren't really based on … well science. Many people take vitamin C like it’s going out of style whenever they get sick, but a study from the University of Alberta looked at results and found there’s really no evidence that it helps. Results suggest it might help with marathon runners who have compromised immune systems due to exhaustion, but even then it’s a minor help. I like personally to take zinc when I’m starting to feel ill, and science does support that. Zinc is used by human immune cells as a catalyst, so when you boost the amount of zinc your immune cells have more to do better, but too much can actually damage your body, so don’t overmedicate. In the end, a cold will persist for 10 days, while some flu symptoms will persist for maybe three weeks; long after the influenza virus has been eradicated by the way. If you really want to avoid getting sick, get a flu vaccination. Only 30 percent of surveyed adults get vaccinated year over year. Flu vaccines are made every year by specialists who use massive datasets to predict which influenza viruses will dominate the next season. See, there’s more than one mutation of the influenza virus, and they view for power and bodies to infect. The 2014 flu vaccine will protect against Influenza A H1N1 and H3N2, as well as a couple of influenza B viruses. You might recognize the name H1N1, we’re still seeing that left over from 2009’s unexpected flu epidemic! Pretty crazy, right? So yes, there is a difference between colds and flu, but if you catch one of the over 200 viruses that cause these crappy feelings the best way to handle it is to drink fluids and help keep yourself hydrated and to rest. If you minimize nutritional strain on your immune system by enjoying warm chicken soup and let your immune system do it’s work, you’ll be fine. Empathy can also help, studies have shown, people who have families or even an empathetic doctor recover faster than those who don’t so help out a friend if they're sick, but don't catch it yourself. If you insist on medication, decongestants and antihistamines will treat the symptoms of both cold and flu, but again, don’t take antibacterial medication unless you know it’s a bacterial infection, because it won’t help, viruses don’t respond on that. That’s something a doctor can tell you by the way.

How a common cold develops

A cold is a viral illness which usually lasts for about one week. Cold viruses, such as the rhinovirus and coronavirus attack into the body when you breathe them in from the air or when you touch surfaces which have the virus on them and then touch your mouth, nose or eyes. You can also get cold viruses from close or direct contact with someone with the virus (by kissing someone with the virus, for example). The eyes, nose, mouth and airways are all connected. Cold viruses can pass through these tubes and cavities to cause the symptoms of a cold. Cold viruses grow in soft warm surfaces such as your nose, throat, sinuses or airways. Infection with a cold virus causes the immune system to produce antibodies which attach to the virus and destroy it. Your body also makes mucus which traps the viruses. You may swallow the viruses so they are destroyed by the acid in your stomach or they may be removed when you blow your nose. Excess mucus production causes the symptoms of a blocked nose, sneezing and coughing. You may also have a headache which may be caused by the pressure in the sinuses blocked with mucus. Your body gradually fights the infection so you feel better after about a week.

Measles

Measles is one of the most contagious of all viruses. 90% of people who are exposed and not vaccinated will get it. The virus lives in the nose and throat. It’s spread by breathing, coughing, sneezing or coming in close personal contact. It can hang suspended in the air or on the surface for up 2 hours. I mean, you can get it by just walking into a room. 1 person can infect as many as 18 others. The virus incubates for 7-14 days. Then the first sign of measles begins: high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes. After several days a rash erupts. Red flat spots appear on the face and it spreads down to the neck, body, arms, legs and feet. An infected person is contagious from 4 days before to 4 days after the rash breaks out. Ear infections and diarrhea are common complications. More severe cases can lead to pneumonia or encephalitis, swelling of the brain, which can cause permanent brain damage. 1 or 2 in every 1.000 children with measles will die. But measles is preventable for the vaccine that is 97% effective. Measles vaccination started in 1963 in the US and the virus was declared eliminated in 2000. That means it no longer originates here. Still there are about 20 million cases a year worldwide. That means an unvaccinated person can bring it into the country world traveling which is how we cured outbreak make it started at Disneyland. In the US there are 102 cases in at least 14 states in January this year (2015) alone. A rater has health officials on high alert.

Scarlet fever

Scarlet fever is a syndrome including a rash and sore throat. It is caused by a particular strength or strep bacterium that makes a toxin or poison. The toxin causes a rash only in some people who are susceptible to the effects. The rash is pink discoloration of the skin, but more important finding is the sandpaper like feel of the rash. The rash usually starts twelve to forty eight hours after the answer of the fever. Abdominal pain or aching in the arms or legs may happen shortly before the rash develops. Scarlet fever is not related to rheumatic fever, a much more serious disease. The only connection between the two is that they are both caused by the bacterium that causes strep throat. Aside from the rash there is no significant difference between scarlet fever and regular strep throat. Strep pharyngitis is an infection in the back of the throat and tonsils caused by the bacteria called streptococcus pyogenes. The word “pharyngitis” means sore throat. Some cases are very obvious, but others require a rapid strep test or a culture to diagnose. Symptoms of strep pharyngitis include fever, sore throat, painful swallowing, headache, abdominal pain, even vomiting. Your child may have swollen tender neck or glands as well. There is usually pass of white spots patches on the tonsils. Diagnosis and testing. Testing for strep is not always necessary to make the diagnosis. In general, children who have cold symptoms, runny or stuffy nose and a cough will not have strep throat even when their throats are sore. Testing everyone for strep throat when the infection clearly is viral is not recommended. Some people carry this strep bacterium in their throats all the time without becoming sick. We call those people “carriers” and we will find them in test eve when they are not causing any symptoms. Centor criteria. It is over 85% likely that your child has strep if he or she meets all four of the following conditions: fever, pus in the back of the throat, swollen lymph nodes below the lower jaw and absence of cold symptoms like runny stuffy nose or cough. Treatment. The treatment of strep pharyngitis includes antibiotics, fever and pain medications and drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. It is very important that your child takes an entire course of the antibiotics, even if he or she feels better before the antibiotics are finished. Your child can take children’s ibuprofen if it is more than 6 months of age with or acetaminophen as directed on the package. This will help the fever with the pain.

What Is Influenza?

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is a highly contagious respiratory illness transmitted from person to person via droplets and small particles produced when infected people cough or sneeze. Influenza is also transmitted via a hand contact with contaminated surfaces. Influenza symptoms include high fever, a dry cough, headache, sore throat, muscle and joint pain and feeling unwell. There are three types of influenza viruses that cause infection in humans: types A, B and C. However, types A and B are the over well mean majority of flu viruses that humans are exposed to. Influenza viruses are unique. They experience high mutation rights and constantly change creating new strains, because viruses mute frequently new vaccines that best match the strains predicted for the coming influenza season are prepared each year. Influenza can affect anyone. People at a highest risk include those aged sixty five and over, pregnant women, indigenous people over fifteen, young infants and those living with chronic conditions. Up to three thousand five hundred older Australians die from influenza related complications each year. Vaccination is your best offence against influenza. Talk your doctor to learn more.

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