Your Flu Might Not Be Just a Common Cold, Here’s Why You Need to Take It Seriously!

Medical ConditionsNovember 22, 2019

There are many precautions you can take to ensure that you don’t catch any illness, but when it comes to the flu, you can try your level best and still catch it as soon as you are exposed to it.

This is because the virus is highly contagious, and can be transferred from one person to another with a cough or a sneeze that leaves particles in the air contaminated with the flu virus. In fact, an object may be covered with the flu virus and just a simple touch can bring the flu into your system.

Many people prefer getting a flu shot before every seasonal change to avoid contracting the virus

Of course, no illness is preferred, but the flu is certainly not anyone’s favorite and that’s because it comes with a set of horrible symptoms that are bound to ruin an otherwise perfect day. Right after you catch the virus, you can be sure to feel feverish or have a runny nose, a lingering pain throughout your body, or a strong headache that would disallow you from focusing on anything else.

The Flu Timeline

The number of people who contract the flu virus every year is in the hundreds of thousands, with some even succumbing to the complications arising from aggravated or untreated symptoms. While the desired course of action is to get rid of the flu as soon as possible, it is not always that easy to do.

Also, if you want to ensure that you don’t transfer the virus to another individual, chances are that you have already done it considering the fact that you become contagious with the virus before you even realize that you have the flu.

Drinking fluids helps you cope with the symptoms, although not cure them

The symptoms of the flu virus usually start to manifest either one day after you contract the virus, or it may take up to four days for you to realize that you have it. After that, the flu takes over and the symptoms manifest in all their glory, providing fatigue and aches throughout the body and requiring you to take a break and hit the bed.

The Difference Between a Common Cold and the Flu

Many people misperceive their common cold to be the flu, and it’s true the other way around as well. Knowing the difference between these two very different ailments is essential for you to administer the most appropriate treatment in a timely manner. According to doctors, while the common cold may present similar symptoms, they are much milder in nature and hence probably go away without any medication.

While you can still function normally with a common cold, in the case of flu, you would most certainly need to rest

Flu can manifest and cause a sore throat as well, which can even lead to a throat infection if you start coughing too much and for a prolonged period of time. Keep this in mind that your fever, if you get it, is supposed to last for up to four days, and if it does not subdue after that, it is best to consult your physician to assess the most appropriate course of action moving forward.

But as far as returning to feeling absolutely normal is concerned, know that the impact of the flu may be felt even two weeks or more after the symptoms go away.