H1N1 or Cold?

Two days ago I woke up with a sore throat, I was more tired than usual and I have a dry cough. My roommate told me go to the doctor to check for H1N1 but I'm not too concerned because to me these are regular cold symptoms. But then I thought what are the different symptoms in a cold and H1N1. For those of you who also wonder read this:

Fever

• Fever is rare with a cold.
• Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the H1N1 flu.
  

Coughing

• A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.
• A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the H1N1 flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
  

Aches

• Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.
• Severe aches and pains are common with the H1N1 flu.
  

Stuffy Nose

• Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week.
• Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the H1N1 flu.
  

Chills

• Chills are uncommon with a cold.
• 60% of people who have the H1N1 flu experience chills.
  

Tiredness

• Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.
• Tiredness is moderate to severe with the H1N1 flu.
  

Sneezing

• Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.
• Sneezing is not common with the H1N1 flu.
  

Sudden Symptoms

• Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days
• The H1N1 flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
  

Headache

• A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.
• A headache is very common with the H1N1 flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
  

Sore Throat

• Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.
• Sore throat is not commonly present with the H1N1 flu.
  

Chest Discomfort

• Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.
• Chest discomfort is often severe with the H1N1 flu

So who votes that I have a cold?

Swine Flu Takes Another Life

This is such a sad story which has really opened my eyes to how bad the swine flu really is. A 13 year old boy in Toronto who was told that they were "healthy" died on last week of swine flu. Evan Frustaglio how played minor league hockey went to the doctors complaining of a cough and sore throat and was assured everything was fine. Unfortunately, less than 24 hours later he was dead. To read the full story click here.

After hearing about this story from my concerned father I can really see the extent to which this flu is reaching and the how horrible it can be.