I have had a lot of questions about the difference between "swine flu and regular flu" so I though I would post this for everyone.
Symptoms of H1N1 swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people with swine flu have had diarrhea and vomiting. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms. But these symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions. That means that you and your doctor can't know, just based on your symptoms, if you've got swine flu. Health care professionals may offer a rapid flu test, although a negative result doesn't mean you don't have the flu. The accuracy of the test depends on the quality of the manufacturer’s test, the sample collection method, and how much viral sample a person is shedding at the time of testing. Like seasonal flu, pandemic swine flu can cause neurologic symptoms in children. These events are rare, but, as cases associated with seasonal flu have shown, they can be very severe and often fatal. Symptoms include seizures or changes in mental status (confusion or sudden cognitive or behavioral changes). It's not clear why these symptoms occur, although they may be caused by Reye's syndrome. Reye's syndrome usually occurs in children with a viral illness who have taken aspirin -- something that should always be avoided. Only lab tests can definitively show whether you've got swine flu. State health departments can do these tests. But given the large volume of samples coming in to state labs, these tests are being reserved for patients with severe flu symptoms. Currently, doctors are reserving antiviral drugs for people with or at risk of severe influenza. - WebMD
Here are the differences between a "cold" and the "flu".
COLD
fever-rare
headache-rare
general aches and pains-slight
fatigue, weakness- sometimes
exhaustion-never
stuffy nose-common
sneezing-usual
sore throat-common
cough-mild to moderate
FLU
fever-usual, high
headache-common
general aches pain usual, severe
fatigue, weakness-usual, 2-3 weeks duration
exhaustion-usual
stuffy nose-sometimes
sneezing-sometimes
sore throat-sometimes
cough-common
To avoid infectious disease is always a good idea to wash your hands often with the soap, avoid touching your mouth, chewing on pencils or pens, and avoid close contact with people who are ill.
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