Flu season is in full swing! This is the first in a series of emails we’ll be sending out to our campus community with important flu prevention information.
The cold and flu are both respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different types of viruses. Flu symptoms usually come on quickly (within 3-6 hours) and consist of a fever, body aches, dry cough, and extreme tiredness. Cold symptoms are less severe and people experience a stuffy nose, productive cough, slight tiredness, and limited body aches. Use the chart below as a quick reference to determine if what you have is just a cold or if it’s the flu.
Is it a cold or the flu?
| SYMPTOMS | COLD | FLU |
|---|---|---|
| Fever | Mild | Usually high,102–104; lasts 3–4 days |
| Headache | Rare | Prominent |
| Body aches | Mild | Often Severe |
| Fatigue, weakness | Mild | Usual, lasts up to 2 – 3 weeks |
| Extreme exhaustion | Never | Prominent early |
| Stuffy nose | Common | Occasional |
| Sneezing | Usual | Occasional |
| Sore Throat | Common | Occasional |
| Cough | Hacking/Productive cough | Dry/Unproductive Cough |
