How to tell when you have the flu and not a cold

Contracting the flu can be very serious for anyone, especially if you’re a young child or a senior citizen. The flu is a respiratory infection and starts in the lungs while a cold starts in the nasal area. A fever usually comes with the flu, while a cold has none. There are three types of flu virus scientists have classified since 1930, and they are A, B, and C.

• Type A is the most common and usually causes the most serious epidemics.


• Type B can also cause epidemics, however this kind produces a weaker virus.


• Type C flu viruses have never been connected with any kind of epidemic.

How to know when you have the flu
When you are infected with the flu virus your symptoms will start anywhere from one to four days later, you can even spread the flu to others before you realize you have it yourself. Flu symptoms start fast with

• Body aches
• Chills
• Dry cough
• Fever
• Headache
• Sore throat
• Stuffy nose

With the flu, one tends to get sick all over and it starts abruptly. For example: When you got up this morning you felt fine, later in the day you start feeling bad due to a headache or your throat starts to get sore or both. Everyone is different and some people experience dizziness and vomiting and somewhere between day 2 and 4 of being sick, your whole body feeling sick starts to subside and respiratory symptoms start to get worse. The virus can settle anywhere in your respiratory tract causing the croup, sore throat, bronchiolitis, ear infections and/or pneumonia, which can be potentially dangerous for seniors. Prominent respiratory symptoms are a dry hacking cough with a red, sore throat and a headache.

How do you get the flu?
You can get the flu if you’re around someone with the flu. If they sneezed into their hand and then shake your hand, you may get the flu. You can also contract the flu virus from simply touching a surface that someone sneezed over such as a telephone or a door knob someone with the flu touched. Flu viruses can pass through the air and enter your body through your nose or mouth. Being around highly populated area’s such as crowded living conditions and in schools.