What are the symptoms
of the flu?

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The flu symptom checker

Early symptoms of the flu come on suddenly and include:1,2

Fever

Fever (although not everyone with the flu will have a fever)

Bone

Body aches

Thunder

Headaches

Snow

Chills

Sleep

Weakness and fatigue

Cough

Cough

Throat

Sore throat

Nose

Runny or stuffy nose

Stomach

Diarrhoea or vomiting
(more common in children)

But everybody is different – some people will experience all of these symptoms, others only a few.1

 

Suspect the flu? Speak to your doctor and ask about flu antivirals to protect you or your loved ones from the flu and its complications.3

Phone

Did you know?
With digital medicine, it’s now possible to get in touch with your doctor and ask about antivirals without leaving your home.

Cold, COVID-19

or

the flu?

Is it COVID-19?

Symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to those of the flu, although they typically come on more gradually.1,2,4–6
They include:4,5

Shortness of breath

Shortness of breath(more common with COVID-19 than the flu)6

Persistent cough

Persistent cough

Body aches

Body aches

Fever

Fever

Tiredness

Tiredness

Sore throat

Sore throat

Suspect COVID-19? Seek advice from your local health authority or speak to your healthcare team about whether you need to self-isolate and/or seek medical attention.

Is it a common cold?

Cold symptoms come on gradually. They include:1

Nose

Runny or stuffy nose

Throat

Sore throat

Cough

Mild/moderate cough

Sneezing

Sneezing

Colds do not usually require any specific measures beyond taking over-the-counter medications to help ease symptoms. You’ll find these at your local pharmacy.

See if you can guess who may have the flu, who may have COVID-19, and who may have a common cold.

Stacey

Age: 5 years old

Symptoms include:
Runny nose, sore throat, diarrhoea

Brad

Age: 17 years old

Symptoms include:
Moderate cough (developed slowly), sneezing

Jing

Age: 42 years old

Symptoms include:
Fever (developed suddenly), weakness, stuffy nose

Larry

Age: 71 years old

Symptoms include:
Body aches, headache, cough

Lucy

Age: 30 years old

Symptoms include:
Stuffy nose (developed slowly),
mild cough (not persistent)

Steve

Age: 54 years old

Symptoms include:
Shortness of breath, persistent
cough, tiredness

Doctor

Suspect the flu? Reach out to your doctor and ask if an antiviral is right for you.3

Discover more about antiviral medications for the flu

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Flu symptoms and complications. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/symptoms.htm. Last accessed: October 2020.
  2. Banning M. Br J Nurs 2005; 14(22): 1192–1197.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What You Should Know About Influenza (Flu) Antiviral Drugs: Fact Sheet, 2018. Available from: www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/updated/antiviral-factsheet-updated.pdf. Last accessed: October 2020.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. COVID-19 symptoms. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html. Last accessed: October 2020.
  5. World Health Organization. Coronavirus symptoms. Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_3. Last accessed: October 2020.
  6. Medical News Today. New coronavirus vs. flu. Available from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/coronavirus-vs-flu#symptoms. Last accessed: October 2020.