Many of us have interesting stories of the 1st few months in the new found land. One interesting story I had from a friend is that he was hosted by a mzungu and got a very bad cold with high temperature.
Somehow, somebody had told him or it was his culture that if you took a shower, the cold will go way. He then took a shower after another shower until the mzungu commented.”Do you like to play with the water that much”. What is your cultural shock story?
What are the differences between Covid, the flu, and a cold?
Each of these illnesses are caused by different viruses, but unfortunately, they can have similar symptoms. As different symptoms and different strains of Covid-19 have arisen, it’s become harder to tell the difference between Covid-19, colds and flu.
Covid-19 is a respiratory illness caused by the strain of coronavirus that first emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. This strain of coronavirus hadn’t been seen in humans before.
Flu (influenza) is also a respiratory illness that affects your lungs, but flu is caused by a different kind of virus, instead of a coronavirus. Flu can be dangerous, which is why those with underlying medical conditions like heart disease or diabetes are offered a flu jab at this time of year.
Colds are caused by many different viruses, but most commonly a rhinovirus or a coronavirus (not the same type of coronavirus that causes Covid-19). A cold only affects your upper respiratory tract (your nose and throat), not your lungs. Because of this a cold is often referred to as a “head cold”. Colds usually aren’t serious.
What are the symptoms of Covid-19?
The main symptoms of Covid-19 have changed over time, and the NHS has updated its list of symptoms to reflect this. The new list of Covid-19 symptoms includes:
high temperature or shivering
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 your sense of smell or taste
loss of appetite
diarrhoea
feeling sick or being sick
The following Covid-19 symptoms are also being reported by users of the Covid ZOE app:
sore throat
runny nose
blocked nose
persistent cough
headache
These Covid-19 symptoms are similar to those you may experience when you have a cold or flu, which can make it hard to tell the difference.
Source-https://www.bhf.org.uk/
