It’s a classic winter scene: you’re huddled up in bed, mainlining chicken noodle soup and feeling like warmed-over poop. Trouble is, you’ve no idea what’s wrong – so here’s a simple guide for distinguishing five of the most common viruses that trouble us in the colder months.
POV: you’re rushing to the bathroom every few minutes. For… reasons
Conclusion: could be norovirus
A rather nasty one, this – or at least, a messy one. Norovirus – also known as “Norwalk virus” or the ever-evocative “winter vomiting disease” – is common, highly contagious, and causes sufferers to, ahem, empty their body from both ends. With force, often.
“Norovirus is a group of viruses that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea,” explains the Cleveland Clinic. “Outbreaks usually happen seasonally in colder months. The infection is the No. 1 cause of foodborne illness in the United States.”
While you’re not going to miss the main symptoms – the aforementioned poop’n’puke combo – you might also get hit with a fever, headache, and body aches. It’s altogether not very pleasant, so it is with regret that we must also inform you that there’s no cure. Instead, the only thing you can do is focus on relieving the symptoms: drink plenty of liquids to replenish what you’re losing in the bathroom; get a lot of rest; and eat soft, bland food that won’t irritate your stomach.
The good news is, it’s a short-lived virus – you’ll probably feel better within two to three days. That said, you’re still contagious for up to two weeks after you recover – so make sure you wash your hands regularly and thoroughly, even when you’re back to normal, and don’t go back to work or school for 48 hours after your last, ahem, symptom.
“Contact your healthcare provider if you can’t eat or if your symptoms last longer than three days,” cautions the Cleveland Clinic. “Make sure you wash your hands often with soap and water to prevent the spread of the infection.”
POV: everything hurts, your strength is gone, and you’re cold… so cold…
Conclusion: could be the flu
It’s common to hear people blame a couple of days of feeling bad on having “the flu”, but honestly? Those people probably just had a cold. The flu is much worse.
“Flu is a viral infection affecting the nose, throat, and lungs, mostly during the winter months,” notes the UK Health Security Agency (HSA). “It is far worse than an ordinary cold.”
“Flu can lead to serious illness, especially in children, with more than 8,000 hospitalizations [in the UK] last winter,” it adds. “Older people, those with a weakened immune system, and people with long-term health conditions are at higher risk. Over the past 2 winters, at least 18,000 deaths [in the UK] were associated with flu.”
Key symptoms of the flu include a cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, and feeling tired – and yes, we know those are all symptoms of the common cold too, but the flu also comes with a free helping of (often but not always) fever, muscle and body aches, and (moreso in children than adults) our old friends vomiting and diarrhea.
But if you’re really not sure whether you have the flu or a cold, consider this: how did you feel yesterday? If it’s a cold, you probably felt a bit better than you did today, but maybe not 100 percent – the flu, on the other hand, tends to turn up very suddenly, hitting like a freight train.
The good news: flu shots exist, and statistics show they’re pretty darned effective. “During 2019-2020, the last flu season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7 million influenza illnesses, 3 million influenza-associated medical visits, 100,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 7,000 influenza-associated deaths in the United States,” says the CDC.
“During seasons when flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 percent to 60 percent,” they note.
POV: you feel like crap, and your favorite mac ‘n’ cheese tastes like cardboard
Conclusion: could be COVID
Ah, yes: a new contender, but a strong one. While the virus initially hit the world hard – like, ten-pages-of-obituaries level “hard” – four years later, it’s pretty similar to a cold for many people.
“While some people with COVID have few or no symptoms, others have a sore throat, congestion and cough, or runny nose and fever or chills,” explained Michael Albert, a concierge physician with Johns Hopkins Personalized Care. “You may lose your sense of smell or taste, and experience shortness of breath or body aches. Upset stomach, diarrhea or vomiting are also possible.”
Unfortunately, for others, it can be really bad – maybe even fatal – so it’s still important to self-isolate and take common-sense precautions to protect yourself and others.
“Once your symptoms have significantly improved or resolved, and it’s been at least five days since the onset of symptoms, you can generally be around others,” Matthew Goldman, a family physician at the Cleveland Clinic, explained last year.
“However, it’s prudent to wear a mask in public spaces or when close to vulnerable individuals for at least 10 days, to minimize the risk of transmitting the infection,” he added. “If you’re symptom-free and it’s been more than 10 days since your symptoms first appeared, it’s typically safe to resume normal activities without a mask.”
Like the flu, though, there is a silver lining here in the form of vaccines. In fact, you can kill two birds with one stone – or two viruses with one jab, we guess – by getting the two shots at the same time. Just don’t go overboard – leave some for the rest of us, you know?
POV: you just have a bit of a cough, but your baby is struggling to breathe
Conclusion: could be Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
How bad an RSV infection hits often depends on your age: for adults in good health, it usually causes mild symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath, and maybe some wheezing. In children and the elderly, however, it’s an illness that sends tens of thousands to the hospital every year.
“This respiratory infection can cause potentially life-threatening bronchiolitis and pneumonia in infants, adults who are older and people with weakened immune systems,” notes the Cleveland Clinic. “Every year, RSV infections in children lead to 58,000 to 85,000 hospitalizations, and now, we’re seeing around 177,000 adults 60 and older be hospitalized with this virus, too.”
Problem is, there’s almost no avoiding it. Close to 100 percent of kids get it at least once before the age of two, and it spreads very easily in classrooms and community centers. For this reason, infants, older adults, and pregnant people are recommended to get immunized against the virus – “If received during pregnancy, the vaccine reduces the risk of severe bronchiolitis by 70 percent in the first six months of a baby’s life,” says the HSA.
As with all the others, there’s no cure – all you can do for your little one is treat the symptoms: give them acetaminophen (aka paracetamol, aka Tylenol), make sure they get enough fluids and rest, and monitor their breathing.
It should clear up within one to two weeks, although “if an infant or someone with a weak immune system contracts the disease, they may be contagious for up to four weeks,” Albert notes.
POV: okay, after reading all this, I don’t feel that bad, I gue—acHOO!
Conclusion: could be a cold
Nobody likes getting a cold, but there’s a reason it’s called “common”: “With more than 200 different cold viruses (rhinoviruses) in circulation, it’s no wonder that most adults catch colds two or three times a year,” points out the Cleveland Clinic. “Kids – with their germy hands, phlegmy coughs and (lack of) sneeze-covering skills – get sick even more frequently.”
Contract a cold, and you can expect to feel… well, pretty rough. Streaming nose, blocked sinuses, sore or scratchy throat, low-grade fever, chills, aches, all of the above – and it could last for up to several weeks (though it likely won’t, which is a relief). Symptoms will likely come on gradually, which distinguishes it from the flu.
There is, famously, no cure for the common cold, so once again the best you can do is treat the symptoms. “For relief from a cold, staying hydrated is key,” advised Goldman.
“Drinking warm liquids like tea can be soothing for a sore throat and congestion, and small changes can make a big difference when you have a cold,” he added. “Consider using a humidifier in your room to add moisture to the air to help loosen congestion or gargle with warm salt water to relieve a sore throat.”
Finally, there’s one piece of advice that should go without saying for every illness listed – but just to be 100 percent certain you’re aware, we’re going to say it anyway:
The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
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