As the weather gets colder more viruses are on the rise again including colds, the flu and covid.
But with all three illnesses having similar symptoms it can be hard to differentiate between them. Many people who contract each of the viruses complain about having a headache, sore throat or a runny nose.
Several symptoms of cold, flu and Covid-19 overlap - especially sore throat, runny nose, cough, headache and body aches. However, some more specific symptoms may signal your sickness is caused by one illness rather than the other, reported The Mirror.
READ MORE: Covid symptom 'more common' than loss of smell as new wave hits UK
For example, loss of taste and smell is a common warning sign of coronavirus infection, although some studies suggest it is now less common with the now-dominant BA.5 coronavirus variant. It is unusual for flu to cause a loss or change to your sense of taste and smell.
Infectious disease expert and professor of medicine, Albert Shaw, said: "Especially if you don't really have a runny or stuffy nose and you have this symptom, that probably is something that's more specific for covid. And it's one we would see less so in someone with a common cold or someone with influenza."
Sneezing is a symptom more common with a cold than with flu or Covid-19, according to health experts. The most common Covid-19 symptoms include high temperature, a new and continuous cough, a blocked or runny nose, feeling tired or exhausted, a sore throat, a headache, an aching body, feeling breathless, loss or change to smell or taste, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick.
According to Professor Tim Spector, the following Covid-19 symptoms are also being reported by users of the Covid ZOE app: sneezing, a hoarse voice, chills, shivers, joint pain and sore eyes.
The NHS explains flu symptoms come on very quickly and can include a sudden high temperature, an aching body, feeling tired or exhausted, a dry cough, a sore throat, a headache, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, diarrhoea or tummy pain, feeling sick and being sick.
Symptoms of a common cold can include a blocked or runny nose, a sore throat, headaches, muscle aches, coughs, sneezing, a raised temperature, pressure in your ears and face, loss of taste and smell. Treatment for these illnesses include resting and sleeping, keeping warm, taking paracetamol or ibuprofen and drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
You should try and stay at home and avoid contact with other people to ensure you don't spread your illness. It is also important to wash your hands regularly and wipe down surfaces to remove any germs.
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