Many people often mistake the flu for a cold. The two can sometimes be very similar and can require medical treatment in rare cases. One way to tell if a person has the flu is to check the temperature. Usually, a temperature of about 100 will confirm that.
Someone who has a common cold will not experience fever. They will, however, cause congestion. Congestion is very uncommon with the flu. Also, another way to find out that a person has the flu would be consistent vomiting and diarrhea. You often also won't lose your voice when you have the flu. Although both a cold and the flu can create fatigue, the flu will take a lot more out of you due to fluid loss. There is also a flu shot to help. There are no vaccines for the common flu. Flu shots can be a lifesaver.
However they don't always work. The common cold usually only kills people with compromised immune systems. Usually what happens is the patient develops Pneumonia and slips into a coma. The flu can kill just about anyone, but usually children and the elderly.
Usually you die from the flu when you lose so much fluid that your body shuts down. The common cold is much more easy to get than the flu. Often times the can actually weaken your immune system to the point where you get other much more deadly diseases. The flu also lasts shorter, maybe 24 to 48 hours. The average cold lasts about a week. The cold virus is also a lot more adaptable than the flu virus.
The flu shot is needed every year due to it evolving and modifying itself. The rhinovirus that causes the common cold can do that twice a year or more. The flu virus also cannot be helped once you have it. Once you have the virus you have to ride it out. There is a myth that drinking Orange juice can help you. That is false. There is no true cure for any of the sicknesses. The best way to treat the flu is rest and water. Drink tons of water to flush out the toxins.
With the common cold, you may want to use cough syrup. Do not drink too much cough syrup, as that will kill your liver. The flu will often result in a headache due to dehydration. Unless you also get an infection. Above all those things there is not a lot you can do. You can get antiviral medication if you catch the flu early enough, however, the treatment is unavailable for the cold. Flu shots can help prevent, but they cannot cure. The shot is basically a heat-killed virus. Your body will recognize the intruder and make antibodies for it. There are also only a few strains of the flu. There are thousands of different strains for the flu.
The reason being is the Common cold virus replicates and adapts so much better. The flu also has a higher mortality rate than the flu. Some strains are 90% fatal (Spanish flu). Everyone should still be careful not to spread either the flu or the common cold.
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