Cold Flu

Incase you didn’t know, there is a very big difference between colds and flu. Many people have been thinking they are one and the same thing because when you have a cold you most likely have flu as well. children are the ones most susceptible to getting colds and flu because they are the ones who are less likely to be dressed warm  for a cold day, plus they interact with each other and when one of them has a cold and a flu, it can be impossible to contain it.

Colds and flu is one of the leading causes of hospitalization among children who are younger than two years. Having a sick child younger than two years of age will make his immune weaker and the chances of getting other infections higher since their immune levels are rather lower than older children and adults. The symptoms of cold and flu are the same, but there is a fine line in how they manifest themselves. The fine line between cold and flu is as follows;

At the onset, a cold is gradual. It will start with chills and tiredness and perhaps a sore throat, but you will almost always feel it coming. When you have a child, you will have to use more handkerchiefs more often than not and gradually this will increase. As with flu, the symptoms are sudden at the beginning. Your child may sleep without a flu one night and wake up with it the next morning

The cough is mild when it is a cold and you can tell it from the time it started. When a child has flu, the cough weakens and it is severe. It makes the throat sorer and it can be very painful for the child. This may lead to lack of appetite for the child as well. The muscle pain that comes with a cold is mild; it doesn’t prevent you from doing your daily activities. You will feel weak and fatigued, but it will be very mild and not all the time. A child with the flu will most likely change his pattern of play because of tired and sore muscles. He will most likely be tired all the time

A child with a cold will never get extremely exhausted. Colds are easier to deal with; because you only have to make sure he is well dressed. Children with the flu need more caring as they will most likely spend sometimes away from school and play. With the sore muscles and the persistent cough, a flu has can be very painful and has to be attended to immediately. colds tend to have mild chest discomfort; unlike flu which will almost always have chest discomfort at a higher level. Flu also comes with high fever, and it’s the reason why children under the age of two could be hospitalized when they suffer from the flu. It will take longer for  the fever to clear unlike when you are dealing with a cold.