Many people tend to equate having the flu to catching the common cold, and not influenza, says one doctor.
SINGAPORE: With flu season in full swing and COVID-19 putting everyone on high alert once there is a hint of sniffling or a fever, you might have found yourself running to the doctor more often than usual.
The common cold is an umbrella term that applies to all infections that cause symptoms involving the upper respiratory tract – the nose, throat and ears – like a sore throat, cough, phlegm, runny or blocked nose, blocked ears and so on, he added.On the other hand, the flu, or influenza, is a specific viral respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus, said Dr Tan.
“Shivering also occurs along with chills because the patient's body produces heat during muscle contraction in a physiological response during fever.”“Many non-infectious conditions including severe allergic reactions, auto-immune conditions and arthritis flare-ups like gout can also cause a fever.” “To put it another way, if I stand in the middle of an empty field and jump into a tub of iced water, I cannot fall sick unless I am also concurrently being exposed to a virus or bacterium," Dr Li explained."That is not to say that we will never fall sick in a vacuum.
It also has the highest mortality rate compared to other viruses that cause cold symptoms, said Dr Li, noting that seasonal influenza strains in Singapore account for a few thousand deaths each year.
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