The Difference Between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

Published by Toronto Mike on October 17, 2009 @ 14:03 in Health and Safety

Remember when we were all calling H1N1 the swine flu? We've come a long way since then. Nobody's calling it swine flu anymore and pigs throughout the world are grateful.

We're being bombarded with H1N1 awareness campaigns, and we're all being told to stay home if we have H1N1 flu symptoms, but if what I'm overhearing in the hallways at work is any indication, everyone with a stuffed nose, cough or headache thinks they've got H1N1. It's time to take a closer look at the symptoms of H1N1 vs. the symptoms of the common cold.

I decided it might be wise to share the differences between cold and H1N1 flu symptoms after getting an email from Mike from Lowville. Here it is.

Symptom	Cold	H1N1 Flu
Fever	Fever is rare with a cold.	Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
Coughing	A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.	A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
Aches	Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.	Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
Stuffy Nose	Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.	Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
Chills	Chills are uncommon with a cold.	60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
Tiredness	Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.	Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
Sneezing	Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.	Sneezing is not common with the flu.
Sudden Symptoms	Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.	The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache	A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.	A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
Sore Throat	Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.	Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
Chest Discomfort	Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.	Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

And here's your swine flu playlist, or as I call it, music to pandemic by.

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