| Cold or Flu? THAT IS THE QUESTION... |
| Health Education |
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As a general rule, cold symptoms mostly affect you above the neck, while flu symptoms come on very suddenly and can affect your entire body, with aches, pains and overall fatigue. The following chart can help you to determine what is ailing you and how to proceed:
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| Fever and chills | | Low fever, if at all | | Common. Can be a high fever. | | Headache | | Rare | | Usual | | Aches, pains & fatigue | | Mild, if any | | Common. Often severe. | | Nasal congestion/sneezing | | Common | | Sometimes | | Sore throat | | Usual | | Sometimes | | Cough | | Mild to moderate | | Common. Can become severe. |
Rest, plenty of fluids and some over-the-counter medications can alleviate some of the symptoms. To help avoid spread of the flu, make sure to wash hands thoroughly and regularly (a good rule of thumb is to wash your hands for 20 seconds at a time, or as long as it would take you to sing "Happy Birthday" twice!) and stay away from others when you are ill.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control's website at http://www.cdc.gov/flu to find additional information on treatment and flu vaccine options.
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