Is it just the sniffles or do you have the flu?

This article explains how to tell the difference between a common cold and the flu, which often have similar symptoms.

You come from work exhausted, your head heavy and your nose feeling ticklish. You feel a cold coming on, and you feel really miserable. In a few hours, your nose begins to run and your eyes water as well. So you have some warm soup and go to bed, giving your body time to rest and recuperate from the cold.

Except – how do you know it’s a cold? It could even be influenza! Influenza, or ‘flu’ as it is commonly called, exhibits similar symptoms to a common cold. You feel a tickly nose, your eyes become watery and start running, your nose starts running then you start sneezing. These are all the symptoms of a common cold. The difference between cold and flu is that the latter has all these symptoms, and some more progressive ones. After a day, you begin to experience fever and your runny nose becomes so clogged that you find it difficult to breathe.

Since they exhibit similar symptoms, it is easy to misdiagnose the flu for a cold. It is easy enough to know the differencebetween cold and flu – by which time, you are in the grip of the flu quite badly! After a day, the flu shows symptoms like body ache, nausea, exhaustion, sore throat and difficulty in swallowing. When the body temperature rises (sometimes as high as 104°) it can also cause splitting headaches.

The flu normally strikes in the cold winter months, and you take longer to recover from it than the common cold. Persons with reduced immunity, senior citizens, young children and pregnant women are particularly at risk of contracting it. Those with chronic breathing issues may need to visit a doctor to remove the thickened mucus in their nasal cavity.

The simple safety guide against flu

·         If you realise that a person in your immediate vicinity is sneezing constantly and looking flushed and weak, remove yourself from the environment.

·         There may be a person around you that has the flu and who is using common facilities like everyone else. Take care to wash your hands with a good antibacterial soap after you touch any surfaces, especially taps, door knobs, elevator buttons and computer keyboards.

·         Take care to sneeze into a tissue or in your hands. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap immediately.

·         Keep a hand sanitizer in your bag when you are outside your home. It is useful when you have restricted access to soap and water.

·         You can also keep a packet of disinfectant wipes in your bag, and wipe down the surfaces that you are about to use.

·         Spray an air disinfectant spray around your work desk to kill any lurking infectious germs.