1 of 2 / Common Cold
View AllWhat Is a Cold?
A cold begins when a virus attaches to the lining of your nose or throat.
What's Causing My Cold?
Cold viruses have a lot in common, but each type has its own style, too.
Is It a Common Cold or Allergies?
It's a question that puzzles lots of folks when symptoms hit: Is all that coughing and sneezing from a cold or hay fever?
What Puts You at Risk for the Common Cold?
2 of 2 / Flu (Influenza)
View AllDo You Have a Cold or Flu?
Do you feel under the weather and wonder if you're sick with the flu or a cold?
Flu Test: How to Find the Virus
A doctor can usually tell if you have the flu based on your symptoms, especially if it’s during peak season.
Bird Flu (H5N1)
Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral infection spread from bird to bird. The most common kind is the H5N1 strain.
Swine Flu (H1N1)
While swine flu isn't as scary as it seemed a few years ago, it's still important to protect yourself from getting it.
Suggested Reads about Cold and Flu
Flu Rates Swell Post-Holidays, but COVID Is Less Severe: CDC
Flu season continues to worsen nationwide, as 38 states have high or very high levels of the respiratory virus known for causing an onslaught of symptoms like a fever, sore throat, runny nose, and body aches.
More Evidence Suggests That ‘Long Flu’ Is a Thing
You may have never heard of it, but you may have had it. More evidence points to "long flu" being a real phenomenon, with a large study showing symptoms persist at least 4 weeks or more after some people are hospitalized for the flu.
CDC Says Flu Cases Rising, 12,000 Hospitalized
The rate of flu infections keeps rising in the U.S., according to the latest report from the CDC. Seasonal influenza activity continues to increase in most parts of the country, most notably in the South Central, Southeast, Mountain, and West Coast regions.
Do You Have the Flu, RSV, COVID, or the Common Cold?
Winter is almost here, and with it may come runny noses, coughing, and congestion. But how do you know if you just have a common cold, or if you have one or more of the three respiratory viruses that make up the “tripledemic” – RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID-19, and influenza?
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