Both illnesses are caused by viruses, although different types of viruses.  Colds and the flu (influenza) start with similar symptoms, a running nose, congestion and cough.  But the flu accelerates quickly and infects the lungs, and has more severe symptoms such as body aches, headache, vomiting and diarrhea.  Most people can tough out a cold and maintain their regular schedules.  That’s not possible for the majority of people who come down with the flu.

The most critical difference is that people die from the flu, 36,000 cases in the United States alone in 2008.  People do not die from the common cold.  The flu can result in pneumonia, respiratory failure and death. 

The Swine Flu (H1N1) is a combination of 4 different kinds of flu, a human strain, 2 swine strains and an avian strain. It is a new type of influenza and as of yet there has been no vaccine developed.  If you have been vaccinated against the flu it won’t help against the Swine Flu.  Each virus strain requires its own vaccine to be developed to be effective.  Scientists say they are about 100 days away from developing a vaccine against the Swine Flu ((H1N1).

Colds usually last about a week.  A case of the flu can last from 2 days to 10 days depending on the variety of flu.  The most perilous influenza virus is the avian flu as it has a fatality rate of over 50%.  The most devastating flu epidemic was in 1917-1920, the Spanish Flu which killed from 20 to 50 million people worldwide.

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