What is a Cold?

Cold Symptoms
Between one and three days after a cold virus enters the body, symptoms start developing, such as:
runny nose
congestion
sneezing
weakened senses of taste and smell
scratchy throat
cough

Infants and young children are more likely than adults and teens to develop a fever. Smokers usually have more severe symptoms than non-smokers.

Flu overview
Influenza, or flu, is a respiratory infection caused by a variety of flu viruses. The most familiar aspect of the flu is the way it can "knock you off your feet" as it sweeps through entire communities. The flu differs in several ways from the common cold, a respiratory infection also caused by viruses. For example, people with colds rarely get fevers or headaches or suffer from the extreme exhaustion that flu viruses cause.

Flu outbreaks
Flu outbreaks usually begin suddenly and occur mainly in the late fall and winter. The disease spreads through communities creating an epidemic. During the epidemic, the number of cases peaks in about 3 weeks and subsides after another 3 or 4 weeks. Half of the population of a community may be affected. Because schools are an excellent place for flu viruses to attack and spread, families with school-age children have more infections than other families, with an average of one-third of the family members infected each year.

Flu Symptoms
If you get infected by the flu virus, you will usually feel symptoms 1 to 4 days later. You can spread the flu to others before your symptoms start and for another 3 to 4 days after your symptoms appear. The symptoms start very quickly and may include

Body aches
Chills
Dry cough
Fever
Headache
Sore throat
Stuffy nose

Typically, the fever begins to decline on the second or third day of the illness. The flu almost never causes symptoms in the stomach and intestines. The illness that some call "stomach flu" is not influenza.

Should I treat a cough?
Most of the time, a cough doesn’t require treatment. It will go away on its own. Cough medicines may be helpful if your cough is caused by a cold or the flu (influenza). Some types of cough should not be treated with cough medicines because the cough is helping to keep the lungs clear so you can breathe. Examples include cough from smoking, emphysema, asthma or chronic bronchitis.


Here is a list of common drugs for Cold, flu pain and cough to buy at 24/7 Pharmacy online drugstore:

Cold, flu pain and cough: