How can you tell if you have the flu versus strep throat?

Answer 1

Symptoms of flu consist of fatigue, fever and chills, a hacking cough, and body aches. Strep throat has the same symptoms, but can also include tonsils looking bright red and swollen with white or yellow patches of pus on them. Symptoms of Strep start developing 5 days after exposure to the Streptococcus bacteria. If you are at all unsure if you have strep, see a doctor without delay. Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics.

Answer 2

The following indicate flu: High fever, 101 Fahrenheit or higher, aching all over, and a general feeling of lethargy. A cold usually does not have the fever. The misery does not usually affect the entire body. However, since there are at least 160 different cold viruses, describing what 70% of them do, does not describe what 100% of them do. It does not describe how a cold or flu virus will affect a particular individual.

Answer 3

Strep throat you will see in the back of your throat tiny white bumps or spots, if you see that you might need anti-biotics, if it's a soar throat you might just need some water, two ways to help is if you take a teaspoon of honey and let it drip down your throat, or you could gurgle warm salt water.

Answer 4

They have little in common, possibly only that they are both infections and both can cause sore throats, fever, and other similar symptoms.

Streptococcus, commonly known as "Strep," is a kind of bacteria that causes infections of various parts of the body (not only the throat). Flu (influenza) is classified as an infectious disease caused by viruses of the orthomyxoviridae family of viruses. The symptoms are usually confined to the upper respiratory tract.

Streptococcus is one of the common bacteria that can produce throat infection (Strep throat), but there are various sub-groups in which some will more often produce infections in different specific organs and systems of our bodies.

Bacteria often release toxins in our bodies which can make the body temperature go up and down, resulting in feeling hot (fever) and cold (chills and rigors, i.e., shivering). This rise in core body temperature is one of the mechanisms our immune systems use to help combat invading pathogens with increased heat above the tolerance of the infective agent. Some viruses, including flu viruses, also make body temperature fluctuate and so it is difficult at times to clinically differentiate. Viruses also can cause a low temperature reading.

Flu is more common during the flu season (in autumn, winter and early spring in the Northern Hemisphere) but it can occur at other times of the year, such as with the H1N1/09 Swine Flu pandemic that began in April of 2009 and continued all summer and into the next year's flu season as it swept through the world. Specific demographic groups are more prone to catch and have complications from influenza, such as the elderly, the immuno-suppressed, and the very young in addition to those who have comorbid diseases and conditions, such as kidney, lung or Heart disease (see related questions for more).

A streptococcus bacterial infection can occur throughout the year and affects all ages. The infection can also be more severe in similar demographic groups.

Antibiotics can kill bacteria (if they are not resistant to the specific antibiotic used). So, the extent and duration of the illness is somewhat controllable as compared to viral infections. Influenza viruses are not affected by antibiotics and there is no equivalent type of medication to use to stop an flu infection. It is up to our bodies to stop the flu infection in a matter time.

Answer 5

Yes, my two year old daughter had both. It is not fun.

Answer 6

No when you have strep throat your throat is sore and when you have the flu your stomach hurts because you keep throwing up.

Answer 7

Usually, when you get strep throat, you tend to have a very sore throat. When getting the flu, your throat may or may not be affected.

Answer 8

It is often difficult to distinguish between the symptoms of the flu and a stomach virus. The flu is usually gone within a week while a stomach virus can be over the next day.

Answer 9

Every strep throat come under the sore throat. Every sore throat is not due to strep bacteria. Others are due to many type of viruses.