Sometimes it is difficult to tell whether you have
influenza or some other viral illness. Many other
respiratory viruses, including common cold viruses (rhinoviruses), may mimic
the symptoms of a minor case of the flu.
Conditions that people mistake for the flu include:
Viral infections such as a cold or flu tend to cause widespread
symptoms, such as fever, body aches, a headache, and a sore throat. Bacterial
infections tend to have specific symptoms involving only one system, such as a
fever and sore throat only.
The flu makes you feel much worse than the common cold. Symptoms
often include fever and cough within the first 48 hours of the illness.
