Symptoms of influenza A, B, covid or cold and how to know what I have
Respiratory diseases tend to appear en masse when the weather changes, and there is no doubt that The arrival of cold weather in recent weeks has brought with it a wave of colds, colds and flu.in addition to the viral disease, which, unfortunately, has been present in our lives for almost four years: covid-19, which eventually turned into the flu, as experts ventured when they began to ease restrictive measures and vaccination spread, especially among all at-risk groups. The latest Acute Respiratory Infection Surveillance Report: Influenza, Covid-19 and RSV in Spain clarifies the current incidence rate in Spain.
In this in the influenza section, the incidence in the week from November 18 to November 24, 2024 is estimated at 12.8 cases/100,000 hours. (23.9 cases/100,000 hours in the previous week), reaching the initial values from week 24.06. Percent positivity for influenza is 2.5% (4.9% in the previous week) in primary care settings and in hospitalized patients, and the influenza hospitalization rate is estimated at 0.2 cases/100,000 hours. (0.1 cases/100,000 hours in the previous week). In terms of severity, since the start of the season in week 40 of 2024, influenza-related hospitalizations accounted for 25.9% of pneumonia cases, 3.6% of intensive care unit admissions, and 5.8% of deaths.
Covid incidence in Spain
In primary care, the incidence of Covid-19 is estimated at 6.1 cases/100,000 hours (9.2 cases/100,000 hours in the previous week) and the hospitalization rate is 0.1 cases/100,000 hours. (0.3 cases/100,000 hours in the previous week). In terms of severity, since the start of the season in week 40 of 2024, COVID-19 hospitalizations accounted for 30% of pneumonia, 4.1% of intensive care unit admissions, and 5.5% of deaths.
Covid incidence in Spain
A few years ago, influenza A also entered a stage of social anxiety due to very obvious symptoms. and very serious consequences for older people or people with weakened immune systems. What’s the difference with B? There are also more cases of colds than in the previous year, which is explained primarily by the lack of masks in public places and therefore the disappearance of this additional protection. which everyone has had for obvious and legitimate reasons over the past two autumns.
The clearest symptoms and differences between covid, cold and flu
- Covid: Dry cough, muscle and throat pain, fatigue, fever, nasal congestion, change in heart rate and, again, prevalence are currently prevalent. loss of taste and/or smell. Diarrhea and nausea are sometimes observed. Even with the latest identified omicron lines, new symptoms such as loss of appetite or hoarseness have been discovered.
- Cold: cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and, rarely, fever, fatigue and sneezing.. They appear one to three days after infection with the virus and are completely cured in less than 10 days.
- Flu (transmission and symptoms are similar for influenza A and B): According to the Mayo Clinic, the Omicron BA.5 version is currently experiencing the same covid symptoms with one exception: a change in heartbeat and is usually not accompanied by loss of taste or smell. They appear on average a little earlier (one to four days) compared to Covid.
Types of influenza
There are four types of influenza viruses: A, B, C and D. Influenza viruses type A and B are the most common and cause seasonal epidemics of the disease:
- Type A viruses They are further divided into subtypes depending on the combination of proteins on their surface. Subtypes A(H1N1) and A(H3N2) are currently circulating in humans. A(H1N1) is now also known as A(H1N1)pdm09 because it caused the 2009 pandemic and replaced the A(H1N1) virus that had been circulating until then. All known pandemics have been caused by influenza A viruses.
- Type B viruses They are not classified into subtypes, but can be divided into lines: B/Yamagata and B/Victoria.
- Type C viruses They are detected less frequently and usually cause mild infections, making them of little public health significance.
- Type D viruses They primarily affect livestock and do not appear to cause infection or disease in humans.
Differences between influenza A and B
The differences between influenza A and influenza B are that influenza A is the most dangerous because it has a greater ability to mutate. and it can be transmitted from animals to humans; for example, as happened with epidemics such as bird flu in 2004 or swine flu in 2009.
For my part, Influenza type B affects humans exclusively and has milder symptoms.because the virus mutates two to three times slower than A, and therefore allows us to develop greater immunity. However, symptoms usually last longer.. Influenza B is especially harmful to youth and children because it is more common among this age group.
Get tested to find out if you have Covid, influenza A or influenza B.
The fact is, the similarities and differences between the symptoms of these conditions, as well as the effects of some seasonal allergies, have made identifying these differences the most common health care challenge this month. The appearance in pharmacies of tests for influenza A, influenza B and covid also gave the population a very complete detection and prevention tool. If the test is negative for all three criteria, but there are symptoms compatible with one or more of them, the most likely diagnosis is a cold or catarrh.