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5. But flu's just a bad cold, right?

For most healthy people flu is a very unpleasant illness that lasts for around a week.

Common symptoms include:

  • a high temperature (fever)
  • chills
  • headache
  • muscle and joint pain
  • extreme tiredness
  • dry cough
  • sore throat
  • stuffy nose
  • and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea in young children.

However, flu can lead to more serious symptoms and illnesses, known as complications. These can include middle ear infections for children and bronchitis and pneumonia in both adults and children. These can lead to a stay in hospital.

Children and adults with underlying health conditions including heart or chest problems, asthma that requires regular steroid inhalers, diabetes, stroke, lowered immunity due to illness or medical treatment and pregnant women are at increased risk of complications.

 

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