Cold & Flu

Symptoms

Cold Symptoms

Cold symptoms usually begin about 2 or 3 days after being infected with a virus and last 7 to 10 days. The first sign is usually a scratchy throat 18 to 48 hours after exposure to the virus.

Common cold symptoms include:

• Sore throat that is dry and scratchy
• Fever is common in children
• Itchy, watery eyes in the early stages
• Headache
• Body aches and pains which can be quite severe in children
• Runny/stuffy nose
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Dry cough
• Fatigue or mild weakness
• Some chest discomfort
• Loss of appetite

The common cold can lead to bacterial infections in children. Signs of an infection after a cold include a high fever, swollen glands and a mucus-producing cough. Congestion in children may lead to a sinus or ear infection, or headache.

Contact your child's doctor if:

• There is a painful sore throat, particularly if a fever is present.
• Fever stays high for several days.
• A cough lingers, with no other symptoms.
• Symptoms last for more than 10 days or get worse.
• There is a runny, stuffy nose, sneezing and watery eyes that last more than 7 days, particularly during the summer. These symptoms may indicate your child has hayfever, not a cold.

Flu Symptoms

Influenza symptoms have a sudden onset and are more severe. They usually subside after 3 to 4 days, but fatigue may remain for up to 3 weeks. Common flu symptoms include:

• Sudden onset of high fever (39-40º) that can last for 3 to 4 days
• Moderate to severe headache and body aches
• Chills
• Hot and moist skin and a flushed face
• Runny/stuffy nose that produces a clear and watery discharge, sneezing, and a sore throat
• Extreme tiredness and general weakness
• Chest discomfort
• Cough (can become severe)
• Loss of appetite

Children suffer from the flu more severely, and it appears more suddenly than in adults. A child will usually have a higher temperature, and feel more body aches and pains. Gastrointestinal complaints (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain) are also common in children with influenza. However, this does not mean that your child has the "stomach flu". This term has no medical meaning and is often mistakenly used to describe the nausea and vomiting of gastroenteritis in children, or gastrointestinal conditions such as food poisoning.